First Steps
Stacey Dyer,
Archivist / Manager
Following the war, a committee was set up to challenge local authority proposals to demolish many of the historic properties in the City. Combining forces with members of the Junior Chamber of Commerce and ‘The Old Plymouth Society’, the committee formed the ‘Plymouth Barbican Association’ in 1957.
The PBA’s main remit during that time has been to successfully preserve and maintain the many pre-war properties in Plymouth, more specifically in the historic Barbican area. To celebrate their fiftieth anniversary, and armed with a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the directors of the association set up the ‘South West Image Bank’ (SWiB), a photographic archive conveniently housed in one of the PBA’s restored grade II Elizabethan premises in Looe Street (access).
Volunteering at SWiB
SWiB actively seeks to provide an accessible means by which the public can engage with images relating to the people, and places of Plymouth’s past. At present we have 20 volunteers who are busy cataloguing, scanning and preserving the collections under the supervision of a full time archivist.
Existing SWiB Volunteers
Here are some of the existing team at work (permission given to exhibit):
Anne Chamings
Jim Hawkins
Derek Hiscock and Maureen Beardsley
Christine Davis and Mike Yeats
John Pawley and Karol Kwiatek
Colin Cotton MBE and John Tozer
Eileen Willey
Di Lawer
Emma Taylor
Val Scott
Paul Thompson
Our volunteers come from all walks of life and have many interests. Some are interested in local history and belong to local photographic groups and history societies.
we also have a few college and university students on board who are eager to learn about the workings of a digital archive and the value of our collections as a historical resource.
Image of the Month Feature - August 2008
DJ45_2 (WMN/3/1) Palace Theatre, Plymouth, 1982
This months image has been chosen from our Culture online gallery by Christine Davis, Volunteer Archive Assistant.
"Although this beautiful, listed building has recently been in the news for all the wrong reasons, it holds wonderful, nostalgic childhood memories for me.
I remember being taken at a very young age to see a Pantomime by my late Gran, Maud Skelly. Despite money being tight, as children we were allowed special treats and this visit was one of those. Walking through the main doors, climbing up the staircase, sitting down on plush red velvet seats, the excitement of it all was sustained throughout the show. Gran would give us food to eat, wrapped up in greaseproof paper, she would also distribute sandwiches containing white pudding, along with meat patties and sausage rolls. We were ecstatic! In subsequent years, I recall playing Bingo in this very building.
It is so sad to see it in disrepair, it needs to be revitalised and brought back to its former glory not least the stunning outside murals depicting the Armada".
If you have a favourite image from our online galleries please do contact us with your comments and we will feature it here.
