History festival set to rediscover county’s fascinating past

Families from across Staffordshire are invited to learn more about the county’s fascinating past during the Staffordshire History Festival.

The celebration is being organised by Staffordshire County Council’s libraries and archives services and includes an extensive programme of events, talks, tours and activities.

Highlights include the return of the popular Perton Library History Open Day on Saturday 8 October, with a host of historical stalls, exhibitions, talks and re-enactors.

New behind the scenes tours will give people the chance to explore the historic William Salt Library buildings in Stafford with the archives and heritage team. Visitors will discover just how old the building might be and view new features that have recently been revealed in 18 and 19 Eastgate Street.

For people interested in the latest archaeological news from the county, Principal Archaeologist Shane Kelleher will be sharing some of his latest findings. Taster sessions on Ancestry Library edition website, quizzes and treasure hunts for children will be available in libraries. Libraries staff will also be sharing their history eBook and eAudio recommendations.

There is also a Local History Day at Burton Library on 29th October, whilst in Lichfield, a walking tour with local historian Jonathan Oates will help people discover more about the Little Known Authors of the city.  Libraries across the County will host talks from local historians including Dr Mark Knight, Andrew Baker, Brendan Clifford, Dr Richard Talbot and Steve Booth.

Victoria Wilson, Cabinet Member for Communities and Culture at Staffordshire County Council said: “It’s great to see how our Library, Archives and Museums teams are working together to create an amazing programme of inspiring events for this year’s festival.

“For many of us, our local library, Archives and Museums services are our best gateway to learning more about family or local history.  These local cultural experiences are great and help inspire, foster pride and connect communities, which is so important to us all. 

“There’s something for everyone in this year’s festival and I would urge people to visit their local library, follow the festival online and try to get to some of the events.”

An online programme of informative posts, quizzes, interesting videos, crafts and activities for children and families will also be available on social media.  People should search for #StaffsHistFest for further details.