Dates for your diaries!
Every other Thursday in the month – Archive Workshops Come along and get involved at any of the monthly sessions. You can either help continue to digitise and conserve the ever-growing archive, contribute and share your own archives or carry out some research for us based on our archive items. Come along and meet us in the Back Meeting room, Ropley Parish Hall 2pm – 4pm
Evening Sessions at the Pavilion – Dates to be advertised.
We will be at the Pavilion, joining them occasionally for some of their Friday social evenings. The bar will be open so please come along for a drink and a chat. Based in the Trophy room of the Pavilion, we can introduce you to the archive and new website. And bring along any archives that you may like to talk to about and hopefully share them with us on the online archive
Future events for 2023 – Family History Event – Details coming soon
Latest news
Lottery Heritage Fund End and Project Report.
The Steering group have recently submitted the comprehensive Lottery Heritage End of term report and evaluation document. The report had to evaluate the project and explain how the £10,000 grant money that was given for the project to build and launch a website and online archive was spent. The report highlights all that was achieved since we received the grant in May ’21 despite the impact of the pandemic forcing a project extension of another six months.
The report includes data, photographs and documentary evidence and ‘the story’ of the last eighteen months of the website and archive build, archive workshops and events. It shows that the outcomes for all that was promised were actually achieved – not just in the aspect of money spent but new skills learnt, increased wellbeing and improved community feeling.
The project now completed, we can look forward to developing the website and archive and also the participation of the physical and online community network to discover and record more about the history of the local area.
The report will be soon be available to view on the website.
Ropley School History Detectives!
Our group of school children have recently been working with some of the History group and have now completed their projects. One project focuses on Ronald Childes and his ancestors, who were the Ropley cobblers and shoemakers that lived and worked in Vicarage Lane for 200 years. The other projects investigated the history of the children’s own homes, using maps and census results.
These projects will initially be displayed at the school and then presented on our website.
They looked at evidence collecting and over the next few weeks will start to work on their own small projects using other new research skills. They will be uncovering facts from documents and online sources such as maps, archive record offices and genealogy websites that will help reveal and increase their knowledge of their local area.
Getting involved
Oral History recording and interviewing – We have the latest recording equipment, with training available; to enable us to capture the spoken memories of people about Ropley and the area. We are looking for people who would be willing to help with these recordings. Can you help?
Oral History participants – Are you or do you know someone who is happy to tell us their memories of living in Ropley, with the intention to present them on the website.
Parkstone Road , Stapley Lane and Webb Lane project – An investigation into the history of the roads, the residential development in 1905 and the origins of Webb Lane. Perhaps you have some information, documents or memories that would like to share that may assist this project .
A project or article of your own – Please be encouraged to contribute your own village history project or article.
Comment – Please do comment on anything that you see on website – we would love to hear from you.
Cataloguing and archiving at our monthly Thursday afternoon session in the Parish Hall. – Do join us to learn new skills and share information. Or just come along for a cup of tea and a chat!
Facebook – Exchange comments and photographs with our Facebook community of over 300 people.
If you would like to get involved, contact us at ropleyhistory@gmail.com or via the website.
Visit our Village Website and Online Archive
With over 1000 records already posted this ever-growing source of historical information about Ropley and the locality is worth a visit. View documents, maps and photographs and read posts and other articles about local notable people, the railway, old pubs etc.
Mystery Archive Photograph – Can you recognise this road in Ropley before its housing development? Please do go to the website to view the image of the Forcey Brothers on their motorbikes on the Mystery Photograph page and comment.
To be involved with the archiving or to offer articles and information about Ropley’s history, please contact ropleyhistory@gmail.com or contact and comment through our New Website https://www.ropleyhistory.org.uk/ Also join us on Facebook
Thank you for your continued interest, involvement and support. Ropley History Network and Archive Steering Group
Supported by Ropley Society, Ropley Parish Council, Hampshire Archive Trust and also
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