Keswick Historical Society Archive Group

The Archive Group of the Keswick Historical Society was formed in 2005 in response to the donation of two collections to the Keswick Historical Society. The group share the objectives of the Society as laid out in their constitution and there are eight committee members of the Group and three volunteers.

The two collections comprise local photographic records and the archives of George Bott, a noted Cumbrian literary figure and local historian. The diverse collection includes material on the natural history of Keswick and the immediate vicinity; mining, custom, local artists and literary figures.

The initial stages of the project have been the establishment of a base for members to meet, work on collections and to store the archives. Parts of the two collections are housed at Keswick Museum and Art Gallery, but the bulk remains in private houses in Keswick.

The aims of the project have been to create an archive of local interest, which will ultimately be open for public use, to draw on the wider potential of the collections such as substantial material on the growth of industrial activity in the area and to increase use of the collections to support wider social interaction, lifelong learning and community cohesion.

One of the main achievements of the Group is that it has brought people together and has helped those involved to make more friends and contacts through the archive. They will happily welcome more people who have an enthusiasm for their work.