Interview given to "All About West of the Hills" magazine

Anne Abbotts of the village archive group recently gave an interview to the magazine "All About West of the Hills". Here is what she had to say:The fascinating history of Wellington Heath has been gathered together in an archive, including photographs and reminiscences of village life . When did the group start and how?There was a man called Peter Garnett who wrote a local history book called 'Portrait of Wellington Heath'. Sadly Peter died in 2006, and left an archive of village history. A small group of local people wanted to make sure this was properly stored, catalogued and made available to others who might be interested in researching the village's history. There are six or seven of us in all carrying out this work.Is there anything surprising in the archive?As well as a lot of interesting photos, there are maps and other documents, but perhaps the most unique part is a survey. It was conducted by the Women's Institute and paints a picture of how life was in Wellington Heath in the 1950s. The differences between then and now are fascinating and show how much has changed, even though its an era still within living memory.Going further back in time, does it paint a picture of how the village began?Although we have one or two very old houses, the village began to develop in the late 1700s when quarrymen, and later navvies from the railway and canal, built cottages with squatters’ rights on common land. They favoured the land because it was sheltered, south-facing and had a good water supply. The squatters also gave their names to several of the local roads, including Jack’s Lane and Floyd’s Lane. They were allowed to purchase the freehold on that plots for a nominal sum, so that when the common land was enclosed between 1813 and 1816, they could stay.

What will you do with the archive?

The materials in the archive have been sorted and we have a place in the Memorial Hall to store it. We're now busy making arrangements so that people can view it. Our group doesn't organise talks like the Village Society in Colwall, but we have two projects under way which will bring our local history alive. The first is a project to match the old photos with the views today, 'then and now' photographs of the same places, which will feature in an exhibition later this year. Secondly, we are planning to record the oral history of the village, talking to people who have lived her for most or all of their lives. Peter Garnett's original book has some reminiscences but we'd like to add to that, and physically record people's stories.

Are other projects in the pipeline?

I've carried out a lot of research into my family's history, and I would like to extend that work to look into the lives of the men from the village who died in the two world wars. The original village hall was built in their memory, and our current building still has a board with their names inscribed on it. I'm sure it will be interesting to find out more about who they were.

If you'd like more information on the Archive Group or any of the projects mentioned above, please contact Anne Abbotts on (01531) 632439 or by email, amabbotts@hotmail.com

Since this article was published Anne made contact with Jenny Harrison of Ledbury who had already researched the village men who died in the two World Wars. Jenny has kindly updated the plaques which are displayed in the Memorial Village Hall and corrected a number of errors. In addition she has produced two booklets on the backgrounds of the men who died (one for Christ Church and one for the Memorial Hall) and these will be handed over at the Curious Blend Coffee Morning on Thursday 25 April at 11 a.m.