// Archives

Getting into the archive: the Pegge-Burnell diaries

Over the last few weeks I’ve been spending time at Nottinghamshire Archives looking through some of the documents of interest that we’ve identified from online catalogues searches. These potentially contain information on extreme weather events of the past that will be included in our database. Pegge-Burnell of Winkburn One of the largest collections of documents …

Getting into the archive – Pies, snowball fights and blazing chimney pots? Must be the diary of a Victorian lady

Elizabeth Nutt Harwood I spent a fulfilling day in Nottinghamshire Archives last week. Among the documents I requested was the diary of one Elizabeth Nutt Harwood of Beeston Meadow, Nottinghamshire. This covers a period from 1838 to 1842 and is rich in detail about the daily life of this educated young woman and her well …

Getting into the archive – Shrewsbury in ‘The Great Frost’ of 1739

‘The Great Frost’ of 1739 Whilst the frost fairs held on the River Thames, London in the years 1608, 1683-4, 1789 and 1814 are well recorded in both documentary evidence and artistic representations, little is known about comparable events in provincial town and urban settings throughout England. The engraving by an unknown artist shows a panoramic …

Frost Fairs at the Museum of London

Last week I visited a small display at the Museum of London about frost fairs on the Thames. Frost fairs had a carnival like atmosphere and combined market stalls with street entertainments set upon the river near London Bridge. They took place on the Thames in years where the depth of ice was sufficiently thick …