From Hadrian’s Wall to hip hop: how Archives Revealed is unlocking collections
Archives Revealed is a partnership between us and The National Archives, the Wolfson Foundation and the Pilgrim Trust that offers several types of grants to archives.
Scoping grants independently assess unexplored but publicly significant collections, while cataloguing and consortium grants fund archivists and public outreach that make collections accessible for everyone.
“These archives hold extraordinary potential for research, creativity and public engagement, but much of that potential remains locked without detailed cataloguing.”
Bethany Goodman, Archivist and Project Manager, The Vindolanda Trust
Meet five projects opening up collections for public engagement and learning.
Exploring Hadrian’s Wall through the archaeological archive
The Vindolanda Trust is leading a partnership with Durham University’s Museum of Archaeology and North East Museums to catalogue five archives relating to the modern research history of Hadrian’s Wall.
The two-year project will explore the archaeologists, sites and artefacts that have shaped our understanding of the Roman structure. An artist residency, an online exhibition and conferences will introduce the archival records to local audiences.
Bethany Goodman, Archivist and Project Manager, said: “These archives hold extraordinary potential for research, creativity and public engagement, but much of that potential remains locked without detailed cataloguing.
“This project allows us to bring together collections that are usually encountered in isolation and reveal the networks of people, ideas and material culture that shaped our understanding of Hadrian’s Wall.”
From drawing board to slipway: the Harland & Wolff ship plan archive
National Museums and Galleries of Northern Ireland is custodian of an extensive, internationally significant collection that includes the Harland & Wolff archive, spanning over a century of design and plans for more than 1,200 ships – including the Titanic.
With support from Archives Revealed, it will catalogue this important collection and make records accessible to wider audiences through digital platforms, educational resources and community engagement.
Diggin’ in the crates: counter-narratives through UK hip hop
As SIN Cru, a hip hop arts organisation, reached its 30th anniversary, an Archives Revealed scoping grant made possible a vital first step in assessing its extensive living archive. The organisation wants to catalogue and activate their collection of creative outputs and material culture spanning three decades of UK hip hop as a resource for artists and educators.
Protecting disabled histories and making archives accessible
The Greater Manchester Coalition of Disabled People is a pan-impairment disabled people's organisation, run and controlled by disabled people to promote independence and inclusion.
Its Archives Revealed project will catalogue donated collections that provide a detailed history of disabled people's fight for independent living. All items will be available in accessible formats, including text only, large print, subtitled video, transcript and BSL. The project will ensure the stories of disabled people – a shared community, culture and history – are preserved.
Preserving millwrighting heritage to save an endangered craft skill
Four collections that record the historic craft of millwrighting – building and repairing windmills and watermills – are being catalogued by the Mills Archive Trust.
The records, including technical drawings and photographs of historic mills in the UK and abroad, come from contemporary and 20th century millwrights and heritage specialists.
The trust hopes these records can be useful teaching resources in caring for mills and helping pass on millwrighting, an industrial heritage skill classed as critically endangered by the Heritage Crafts Association.
Find out more about Archives Revealed
Explore more about the funding programme, including how to apply for a grant, by visiting The National Archives’ website.
