Walsall's history now just a click away as new digital archive goes live
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Residents, researchers and history enthusiasts can now explore Walsall's rich heritage online, as the borough's new digital archive portal officially launches.
The online portal, created through the ‘Walsall Archive for All’ (WAFA) project, will give the public free access to thousands of historic photographs and slides from the Jack Haddock Collection, helping preserve and share Walsall's unique history for future generations.
The first collections to be made available focus on the borough’s local canals and railways. Visitors can browse historic images and discover how these transport networks played a part in everyday life across Walsall.
The digital archive is being developed thanks to a £249,020 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Over the lifetime of the project, around 9,000 items from the Jack Haddock Collection will be digitised and made available online, ensuring this important local heritage is preserved and accessible to everyone.
The launch of the portal marks a significant milestone in the project, opening up Walsall's history to people across the borough and beyond while protecting fragile historic material for generations to come.
“ We're delighted to see the Walsall Archive for All digital portal go live. This is an exciting step in making our borough's remarkable history more accessible than ever before. Thanks to National Lottery players, we will be able to digitise thousands of images for intergenerational and intercultural representation. “
“ The first collections showcasing Walsall's canals and railways tell the story of some of the main transport links that helped shape our communities and our identity.
As more collections are added over the coming months, this fantastic resource will continue to grow, ensuring that Walsall's history is preserved, celebrated and shared with future generations.
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The Walsall Archive for All project is working to digitise over 9000 images from the Jack Haddock collection the work will continue to create a lasting online resource that can be accessed from anywhere.
A community exhibition programme will also be developed as part of the project, while Walsall College will begin incorporating the Jack Haddock Collection into their photography courses. This will allow students to engage with the material and produce contemporary reflections which will be used to create a photo book and exhibition content.
Residents can now begin exploring the collection through the new digital archive portal, with further themed collections due to be added as digitisation work continues.
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