Kendal Oral History Group

Kendal Oral History Group was founded in 1987. We are a small group of volunteers who interview people who have lived at least part of their lives in Kendal and the surrounding villages. We aim to cover all aspects of life in the area – both past and present. Our archive includes recordings with people born between the 1880s and the 1980s.

As at September 2017 there are 350 audio interviews in the archive, almost all of which are transcribed and summarised. Most are fully indexed by place and subject.

Most recently we completed a project on the flood of December 2015 which affected Kendal particularly badly. This consists of 51 audio interviews with people affected by the flood and with volunteers helping on the night of the flood and in the months that followed.

The archive is available for members of the public to use in Kendal Local Studies Library, Kendal. We give presentations using material from the archive to a range of local groups. We also hold annual gatherings to which the respondents are invited.