It has been a busy summer so far at the Gainsborough Heritage Centre, with film-making workshops and oral history interviews taking place with senior residents of the town. These recordings provide a valuable insight into how life used to be in earlier times. Many people wish they had listened more carefully to their grandparents’ stories – and even more so, had recordings of them describing their lives compared to today. The Centre is fortunate to have dedicated volunteers who give up their free time to help preserve the town’s local heritage.
The reference room alone is a testament to this work, with files stacked from floor to ceiling containing newspaper clippings, photographs and documents. There is always someone on hand to assist with any enquiries. A separate room on the top floor houses hundreds of Marshalls and Roses engineering drawings. A full-size scanner allows visitors to obtain copies for a modest charge. Scaled-down prints are also available with mounts – ideal gifts and valuable resources for those restoring vintage tractors and machinery. The fascinating artefacts – most of them donated by local people – are carefully catalogued and preserved by the archive team. These are then featured in the Centre’s ever-changing exhibitions. The highlight in July was the opening of the new Savoy cinema in Gainsborough town centre. To mark the occasion, the exhibition officer created a display featuring photos of the town’s previous cinema, the Grand, which later became the Gaumont. It closed its doors for the final time in 1961.
Visitors are encouraged to explore the centre and take a trip down memory lane. Admission is just £3.00 (children go free when accompanied by an adult), making it a great option for a summer holiday outing. Quiz sheets are also available for children to make their visit more interactive and enjoyable. The Centre is open on Tuesdays and Saturdays from 10.00am to 4.00pm. It is located on the corner of North Street, DN21 2HS, and is fully accessible with lift access and accessible toilets on all floors. There is also a cosy café on site offering reasonably priced refreshments. Coming up on Thursday 25th September is a History Talk entitled Farming Tales by Craig Williamson, held at The Club on the Park.