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Zooming in on history
Like every other organisation, Derbyshire Archaeological Society has had to adapt its activities in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, and our winter programme of evening talks for 2020-2021 was made using Zoom. This turned out to be a real success and has been particularly appreciated by members who find it difficult to attend our traditional evening meetings in Derby. We have kept our members informed through regular emails, updates to the website, our twice-yearly newsletter, and the 2020 volume of Derbyshire Archaeological Journal – 250 pages of high quality archaeological and historical research. We refreshed our archive of DAJ on the Archaeology Data Service – all 140 volumes are searchable online with anything over five years old free to download. We also publish Derbyshire Miscellany, which is a magazine of shorter articles focused on local history. In the past this has been paid for separately, but in future it will be included in the basic subscription, with an expanded remit to cover archaeology, architecture and industrial archaeology. The pandemic arrived at a particularly frustrating time for us, as we had just re-opened our library to its new home in the Strutt Centre, Belper. This had been built
Socially-distanced DAS working party at the Morley Park blast furnaces
up since the society’s inception in 1878 and comprises over 2,500 books and many journals, with a focus on the history and archaeology of Derbyshire, including a number of rare volumes. The library had to close for over a year, but as restrictions eased we were able to re-open for members to browse and borrow. We also welcome visits from non-members – our website provides information on the library opening hours (usually twice a month) and a searchable catalogue, as well as information on all the society’s activities. One of the few opportunities for members to meet up face-to-face in the last year has been on our working parties at the Morley Park blast furnaces site, near Ripley. As well as the usual tasks of litter picking, vegetation management and fence repairs, this year we received a grant from Historic England to install some additional metal grills to prevent access to the interior of the structures. With easing of restrictions in 2021 we were able to hold a limited summer programme of walks, and for our 2021-2022 winter programme, we hope to hold a mix of online and face-to-face meetings. Please check out our website www.derbyshireas.org.uk for the latest details.
