Living Archive has moved!

Not directly a Bletchley item but as we’re related…

Our parent organisation, Living Archive moved last week from the Old Bath House in Wolverton to accommodation at Milton Keynes Museum.  Space is at a premium and the staff and volunteers at the museum have been under pressure to get the preparations completed while Living Archive people scurried around packing and then unpacking a mountain of office equipment and archive material. Both sets have done a remarkable job.
Things will take a while to normalise but there is so much opportunity for co-operative working in a variety of ways and the future looks exciting.
The museum is open from Wednesday to Sunday now and through the summer.  It’s well worth a visit.  Find out more on their website http://www.mkmuseum.org.uk/

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Love Bletchley day

A date for your diary – 11 May 2013

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, it’s back.  Bletchley & Fenny Stratford Town Council is encouraging people to come to Queensway and take part in their third Love Bletchley day.  So, if you’re local, come and support the local shops and all the stall-holders who will be there on the day.  We’ll be on the street with a display of photos and also some books for sale.  We’d love to speak to people about their memories and experiences of Bletchley. See you there.

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Public Spirit in Bletchley

These children look proud of themselves – and so they should be after cleaning out part of the brook at the Trees Estate in 1975.

A job well done

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A Focus on Bletchley & Fenny

As with so many things these days, heritage funding is a precarious issue.  BCHI now receives 50% less money this year as one of our funders has dropped out.  Happily, Bletchley & Fenny Stratford Town Council continues to support us and we are still open for business in the local library on Tuesday and Friday mornings.  As we now receive all of our money from them it’s only natural they want us to focus on their area of responsibility.  So for this year, we will concentrate our efforts (research and displays) on the area east of the railway line.

Any queries we get about the West Bletchley area – or any other part of Milton Keynes will have to be referred to our parent organisation, Living Archive.  It may mean that responses for these queries could be delayed.  Please bear with us and we apologise in advance for any inconvenience.

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April ‘mystery’ picture revisited!

Well done to everybody who managed to identify the old County Cinema, also ‘well tried’ to all those who didn’t quite manage it this time. If you look carefully at the picture this time you will see the faint lettering on the front of the building, have to admit to make things a little harder I did remove this first time round. The date of the photograph is February 1972, does anyone remember when the last film was shown?

My first memories of the cinema go back to the time of the Saturday morning pictures! Mr Betteridge, I think I’m correct in saying was the manager. When the ‘young audience’ were too noisy he stopped the film and threatened to send everybody home – cannot remember that ever happening but the veiled threat always seemed to work. Also, to all those patrons of the County does anybody remember the projector breaking down on a regular basis?

If anybody does have an ‘unusual’ photograph they think might be a good candidate for our ‘mystery photograph’?, please bring it into BCHI at Westfield Road Library, we would love to see it!

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April ‘mystery’ picture?

Sadly, this building has lost most of its former glory, in fact it was on the ‘point of demolition’! For some a familiar landmark, for others it depends on how good your memory is!

If you do recognise the picture, maybe it will stir a few forgotten memories; if so we would be pleased to hear them.

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