Text Box: Snibston Discovery Park   The annual Miner’s Gala held at Snibston Discovery Park, Coalville, on 20th September 2008, provided volunteers from the Magic Attic with the ideal opportunity to showcase the archive’s resources and projects. Although the event focused largely on mining, the Magic Attic and other community historical groups displayed a variety of resources pertaining to the region’s varied industrial heritage.   On arrival we found that our reputation had preceded us, with Leicestershire’s County Archivist keen to arrange a visit to the ‘Attic’ in order to observe the mechanism of a popular volunteer led community archive. Having been recommended by the National Lottery Heritage Fund as a model for scanning and digitally archiving glass plate negatives, the archivist, Dr. Margaret Bonney was also eager to seek the advice of Keith Foster who co-ordinated the Attic’s mammoth 2006-8 scanning project ‘Windows into the Past’.  The Festival of Mining was a successful networking event where volunteers and public alike enjoyed an entertaining and informative day at Snibston and an afternoon of music provided by Desford and other colliery bands.

Magic Attic Logo

Mason's Cash Books

The Magic Attic

Local History - Local Heritage- from Local Folk

The Swadlincote Crest

Text Box: The newsletter of the Magic Attic Swadlincote’s Local History Archive Established 1987

Text Box: LOCAL HISTORY                                 LOCAL HERITAGE                            FROM LOCAL FOLK

Text Box:          The month of November proved a busy one for the Magic Attic for not only did we have our usual number of visitors and researchers through the door during our normal opening hours, a series of other events also kept our team of volunteers and trustees on their toes.          On the 1st of the month the ‘Attic’ took along a display of photographs and a selection of other items to the Scarsdale Local History Fair which was held in The Winding Wheel, Chesterfield. We were one of around fifty local history organisations from across the Midlands. It proved a good networking opportunity and hundreds of people from a wide area attended the event.            The Magic Attic team were out again the following Saturday when they followed up an invitation from the BBC to provide a display at the National Arboretum, Alrewas as part of their ‘Remembrance 90’ event. The ‘Attic’ took along WWI records, photographs and memorabilia, and not only did our exhibition attract constant attention from the public, it was also used as a backdrop and focal point for interviews carried out by the television crew. Thousands of people attended the event which again gave the Magic Attic a chance to showcase itself to a wider public.          The Voices and Volumes Club, The South Derbyshire Family History Group and the local Authors Group also held their November meeting in the ‘Attic’ reading room. The month ended with two sell-out concerts in Sharpe’s Kiln which benefited not only the archive, but also Sharpe’s Museum.          Through the hard work of a dedicated team, the Magic Attic reached an audience of over 5,000 people during the month of November 2008.    

 

      

Text Box: What a lot we’ve got!! My first contact with the Magic Attic was in December last year, when I visited a photographic exhibition. I was fascinated by the range of exhibits on show and was given a tour by members.   I came down the following week to see if there was any way I could become involved with the work the Magic Attic was doing. Little did I know! I was asked if I’d mind ‘sorting out the maps’ as quite a few had been acquired since they had last been catalogued. I began sorting them into chronological order and noting down the details. I’d almost finished cataloguing them when …….. another load of maps appeared! I quickly finished hanging the first lot of maps, then began cataloguing the new arrivals, when ….. another load of maps appeared! This happened yet again soon afterwards, but slowly I sorted them out, finishing in June. I was mightily relieved, when ….. some more appeared, followed shortly afterwards by yet more!   By this time we had run out of storage space, so the latecomers could only be sorted and stored in folders, ready for cataloguing when we had more space. We now have about 500 maps, mainly OS, going back almost 200 years, covering South Derbyshire. Lately we have incorporated Burton and East Staffs down to Lichfield, in various scales from 1:25000 to 1:500.   So, if you want to see how South Derbyshire has changed over the past 200 years, come down to the Magic Attic and see our collection.   Maps?   What a lot we’ve got!   Bob Cox Text Box: A Bridge Too Far (September 1960).  By volunteer David Feltham   There must, I suspect, be many of the older generation of local people who will be able to recall with some clarity the time, or even times, in some cases, when they were apprehended by a uniformed member of the police force after being caught riding their bicycle over the Ferry Bridge and viaduct.    As they were well aware, this was strictly prohibited until recent years and anyone who chose to ignore the warning notices at both the Stapenhill and Burton approaches to the bridge, risked having to pay a fine of forty shillings (£2) if caught breaking the law in this regard.    I could not even begin to guess the total number of cyclists who fell foul of the law over the great many years that these restrictions were in force forbidding them to ride over the Ferry Bridge, but I feel that I can state with some confidence that I know how many drivers have been caught and sentenced after driving a car over the structure- one!    This particular incident occurred during the very early hours of Sunday, July 24th 1960, when a Humber Hawk, driven by a man in his late thirties who was later found to have consumed nearly a gallon of beer (4.50 litres), was seen heading towards Derby Turn and driving in a dangerous manner. On reaching the traffic lights which then stood at the junction, he turned to go over Little Burton Bridge towards the town but collided with an iron bollard, damaging the car’s nearside wing and puncturing the front nearside tyre. Undeterred, he then set off down Derby Street in the direction of Borough Road and Station Bridge with the damaged tyre flapping about and making a terrible din.    The tyre finally came off half-way down Station Street but he carried on where, at the junction of High Street, he ignored the attempts of a police officer who tried to stop him by waving a torch before having to leap out of the way as the car flashed noisily past him, throwing showers of sparks up from the rim of the tyreless wheel. Hurtling up High Street, the car was then seen to career across the Memorial Gardens, down the passageway past the Technical College, demolishing two bollards on the way and then driven on to the Ferry Bridge viaduct heading towards Stapenhill, deep gouge marks in the tarmac marking the driver’s route.    After driving across the viaduct, narrowly missing a young woman who was fortunate enough to be close to one of the sloping side paths that lead off the viaduct, the man then crossed the Ferry Bridge, drove up the Dingle on to Ferry Street and then turned on to Main Street, by which time a police patrol car had been alerted. Despite a number of attempts to stop the vehicle, the car was not brought to a halt until it had reached Etwall, having been driven roughly thirteen miles in a highly reckless and dangerous manner.    The man, who came from Coventry, was later sent for trial.

Text Box: Derbyshire Family History Society 2008 South Derbyshire Meeting Group    3rd Wednesday in the Month 7.30pm The Magic Attic Reading Room, Sharpe’s Heritage Centre, West Street, Swadlincote     September 17th   The Ashby Workhouse     Ken Hillier October 15th       What’s in a Name             Jane James November 19th    The Origins of Sayings     Ian Hingley December 17th         Christmas Social  

Text Box: The Magic Attic, Sharpe’s Heritage Centre, West Street, Swadlincote           

 

Text Box: Those Damned Pork Pies By Stuart Haywood a regular researcher at The Magic Attic Fifty years ago I was a regular habitué of Newhall Labour Club. At that time the club organised days out to the seaside and the one I remember well was a trip to Liverpool. The travel was by rail starting very early in the morning and returning to Newhall about 24 hours later. On arrival at Liverpool trippers had the opportunity to cruise for a few hours on the Irish Sea. A couple of days later I saw Jack Bird and asked him if he enjoyed the outing. “It was marvellous,” he replied “ as soon as we boarded the train at Burton we got the beer out. When we arrived in Liverpool there was a club near the station and so we spent the day there. We didn’t bother with the sea cruise  - we were away from Newhall for almost 24 hours and we had a pint on the go all that time. It was brilliant.” “Were you OK the next day?” I inquired. “I was tired as you would expect,” he replied, “And I had a bit of a gippy guts. I think it was the pork pie I had for my dinner.”

 
Text Box: Concert in the Kiln   ‘Magic, Murder and Memories’ was the title of this year’s annual concert in Sharpe’s Kiln, and tickets for the event sold out very quickly. ‘Out of the Hat’, a group made up of volunteers and friendsof the Attic, entertained a packed kiln on the evenings of Friday and Saturday, 21st/22nd November. One of the main themes of the production was to celebrate 21 years of ‘The Magic Attic’ and songs relating to many of the resources such as newspapers and photographs were included in the programme. Other local anniversaries featured during the evening were 160 years since thebirth of, the now world famous artist, Helen Allingham in the town, and 70 years since Sir Nigel Gresley’s steam locomotive ‘Mallard’ smashed the world speed record.   Songs and poems, amusing and serious, written and performed by John Worker and at times accompanied by his wife Carol, brought laughter and applause from an appreciative audience. The normal line-up of five in the group was increased  to seven after being joined by Gary Barnett on guitar and Trevor Causer on bass which brought a much richer sound to the presentation. Pictures prepared by Keith Foster and projected on to the kiln wall to coincide with various songs as ever added another dimension to the show, and mining images with the song ‘Working Man’ to accompany them savaged the emotions of many in a silent audience. Carol Worker’s performance as a ‘coal-picker’, complete with a rusty bike loaded with coal sacks, staggering through the kiln while being serenaded by a guitar and romantic lyrics, brought continued shrieks of laughter during the second half of the show. ‘The Dosko’s Squashed me Snap Tin Blues’, ‘Riding on the 712 to Measham’ and ‘El Swaddy’ with Dean Stockwell, Terry Jones, Graham Nutt and the rest of the group brought the concert to an end with the audience yelling for more.   The organisational skills of Jacky Jones and other Magic Attic volunteers and trustees working behind the scenes, ensured the production was a success.   Over the two evenings the show raised almost £1,000 and when the hire of the kiln and other overheads had been settled the Attic’s funds were £740 better off.    ‘When’s the next one?’, was the question from so many. Watch this space!        

 
Text Box: Wednesday, December 10th, saw the Magic Attic hold its annual Christmas get –together when volunteers and trustees along with their partners and friends gathered in the ‘Attic’. It was a chance for everyone to meet up and those who normally attend the archive during the afternoon sessions to chat with those on the ‘night-shift’.             Around sixty people enjoyed the evening which was a great success, following the usual format with no speeches allowed, but lots of food, drink, music and much to chat about.    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Text Box: Yesteryears News Petrol Price Rise Sparks Concern  A 4½d (less than 2p) rise in pump prices is leading to fears of an end to the motoring boom. Petrol now costs around two shillings a gallon and the Automobile Association’s secretary said today this would deter many from buying the new popularly priced generation of small cars. It is not the first time that the AA have complained about the rising cost of petrol; four years ago 1,250,000 motorists signed a petition calling for a law to control its prices. Automobile Association  Chronicle of the Twentieth Century.  D. Feltham

 

 - Graham Nutt

Text Box: Magic Attic Talks Programme 2009 Wed 21st Jan -    The Gresley Pioneers - Catherine Cartwright Wed 18th Feb - The River Trent - Richard Stone Wed 18th Mar -   Black Diamonds - Dr. Wendy Freer Wed 15th Apr -    Calke Abbey & Estate - Betty Cawte Wed 20th May - Visit to Clay Mills Pumping Station Meet on site at 18:45 Wed 17th Jun -   The Timber Corps - Betty Astle Wed 15th Jul -    Historical Walk Around Ashby Led by Robert Jones.                             Meet 19:00 at Ashby Museum Wed 19th Aug - Farmhouses Through Time - Keith Blood Wed 16th Sep - The Norkies and the Brewery Trips - Ian Hingley Wed 21st Oct -    Made in Derbyshire - Shirley Horton Wed 18th Nov - Magic Attic Mixture - Graham Nutt Text Box: The Magic Attic Meeting Group – 21 Jan  2009.  The Gresley Pioneers – Catherine Cartwright             We enjoyed our last five years as a Meeting Group within the Derbyshire Family History Society but realised that the group had steadily evolved and it was now time to move on. Our numbers nowadays reflect the interests of an enthusiastic and growing band of locals, many of whom have no intention of pursuing their families’ history but delight in hearing a good speaker. As our interests widened so we needed to expand our range of subjects beyond the original family history remit. And so we made the move. At Christmas we said our farewells to the DFHS and our Meeting Group is now under the umbrella of The Magic Attic.         We can now offer talks on all manner of subjects, combined with the usual, friendly ‘Attic’ welcome. Our meetings will continue as always at 7.30.p.m. on the third Wednesday of each month.            For this, our first ‘Attic’ meeting, our regulars were out in force – and so was the whole of South Derbyshire, it seemed. The room was full to overflowing and for the first time we had to turn folk away. The popular subject was, ‘The Gresley Pioneers’. Our speaker, Catherine Cartwright, told the story of the arrival of the Mormon Church in South Derbyshire in the 1800s and the opening of its Wooden Box and Gresley branches.         Many of the new converts aspired to make the long journey to America and some were to realise their dreams. Catherine was able to describe for us some of those difficult and often hostile journeys, where many died.         Mormon records are available for the baptisms of South Derbyshire converts, whose numbers included many from the pottery industry and also of those making the arduous journey to America.         As there will be limited space in these pages for detailing the contents of our meetings we should say that several of the ‘Attic’ volunteers regularly attend and are happy to share information on any of the subjects covered.  Janet Atkins

  The Magic Attic is a Registered Charity - No 1094124 (est. 1987)                                                                                copyright 2009 Text Box: News in Brief  During November a display from the Magic Attic containing photographs and copies of pages from local newspapers relating to WWI was mounted in the foyer of Swadlincote library.                    *                   *                  *                   *                  *                   *                   *                    Several youngsters from William Allitt School, along with members of staff, visited the Magic Attic during December. They were accompanied by several residents from the Castle Court Residential Home. Working together the group researched newspapers and the photographic data-base to seek information and memories regarding the First World War.  *                   *                  *                   *                  *                   *                   *                  Several new publications from researchers at the archive are about to roll off the press and will include a book relating to Brizlincote Valley and another about the shops and businesses in Swadlincote High Street over the last century.  *                   *                  *                   *                  *                   *                   *                            The model of Drakelow Power Station which had been housed in the Attic for a number of years has eventually found a good home with an individual from Nottingham. This followed many months of negotiations with various organisations and companies to take the model away but none brought a satisfactory conclusion. The freeing up of space taken up by the model has allowed us to proceed with a number of projects which had been put on hold. *                   *                  *                   *                  *                   *                   *                  *  A series of photographic displays on various themes, researched and assembled by Magic Attic volunteers, are to be mounted on the exhibition boards in the lower gallery of Sharpe’s Museum during 2009. The first should be in place by mid February. Other displays are planned throughout the year at Burton Library, Buxton Dome and ‘Conkers’.  Text Box: Carrianne Corner  Over the last year, third year Derby University student, Carrianne Corner, has become a regular attendee at the Magic Attic. Carrianne successfully completed a work based module at the ‘Attic’ that will contribute towards her Bachelors degree in Heritage and Conservation. Apart from carrying out her own comparative studies, Carrianne has made a valuable contribution to the Magic Attic’s mining project. We look forward to working with Carrianne again this year when she undertakes another work based module at the Magic Attic.