Spotlight On: West Yorkshire Archive Service

Did you know that West Yorkshire Archive Service collects and cares for over 800 years of unique documented local history?

There isn’t enough room here to tell you about all the collections they hold, but in short, they have records relating to pretty much everything from local people, businesses, schools, hospitals, churches and much more. In fact, they have so many collections that if you placed the boxes end to end, they would stretch for over 40 miles! The records support people from all backgrounds across the world in their search for answers to their family and local history.

They are kindly offering us an introductory workshop called What the heck are archives? at the RWC in Mirfield in January 2023, giving you the chance to discover exactly what archives are and how you can use them to learn more about your own heritage and unlock the doors of your family history.

They also deliver other sessions such as: How to search your house history, Recipes across the years and the West Riding Pauper Lunatic Asylum which looks at the history of mental health support over or the last 200 years. These are delivered at the fabulous History Centre in Wakefield and learners will have the opportunity to book on these workshops later in the year.