The Calver Weir oral history project came to a glorious end this weekend with an exhibition in Calver Village Hall.
Over 200 people visited the exhibition over the weekend. The launch was attended by 10 interviewees, 2 Heritage Lottery Fund officers, all of the oral history team and about another 15 residents and visitors.
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| Interviewees watch the movie |
The event was the culmination to 18 months hard work by the team, who had recorded 22 interviews and searched Derbyshire Record Office’s collection of Calver Mill documents. Highlights include finding the sources of the 19th century mill’s cotton and the range of tools required each year to keep it operating, childhood memories of playing on the weir and river, working life at Sissons stainless steel factory and the filming of Colditz by the BBC. The main success was seeing a group of people come together, learn historical skills and work as a team.
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| The oral history team |
inHeritage has been involved with the project throughout, mentoring and guiding the volunteers and producing a travelling exhibition, booklet, movie, comic and podcasts. We have also created an archive which is deposited in Calver, Derbyshire Record Office, the Peak District National Park Authority and the East Midlands Oral History Archive.
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| Booklet, comic and celebratory ale |
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| The Movie |
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| The exhibition |
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| The comic |
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| The food |