Event planned to showcase New Town Telford project
Southwater library will host an event next Thursday (19 MAY) to showcase their project to digitise and draw together resources that tell the story of the development of the Town.
Thanks to a Heritage Lottery Funded grant, Telford & Wrekin libraries have digitised over 500 images from the Telford Development Corporation collection that is at Shropshire Archives in Shrewsbury. These include photographs of Brookside and Stirchley, Dawley, Hollinswood and Randlay, Malinslee, Oakengates, the town centre and Telford Town Park and the first new town estate of Sutton Hill.
The collection shows new houses and roads being built, as well as promotional events such as Super Saturdays that the Telford Development Corporation organised for the community.
A selection of the photographs can be enjoyed on the digital table on the first floor at Southwater library. All of the images can be seen on the Shropshire Archives online catalogue:
http://search.shropshirehistory.org.uk/collections/getrecord/CCA_X6235/
The Dawley Observer, the forerunner of today’s Telford Journal has also been digitized, covering 1963-1984, and will be available to search on some of the computers at Southwater and Wellington.
The event next Thursday will showcase and celebrate the project. There will be a talk by Richard Bifield: “A brief History of Telford – or 2000 years in 60 minutes”, as well as an opportunity to discover the digital table, films, newspaper and other resources.
The talk will take place 11am–12noon at Southwater Library on Thursday 19 May.
Anyone interested in attending the talk should contact libraryenquiries@telford.gov.uk to reserve their free place. Anyone can drop in between 12–1pm without booking.
Councillor Liz Clare, cabinet member with responsibility for libraries, said: “This is a great opportunity for local people to find out about the history of their town and to see the work of the libraries service in digitising these resources.
“There is a brilliant array of photographs and film footage following the development of new town of Telford.”
For more information the project, visit the website:
http://www.telfordournewtown.co.uk/ or watch this film:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ip3O1aUYVm4
