New name for Centre for Buckinghamshire Studies - but it's still closed due to Covid-19

The facility, which among other items holds the Bucks Herald archives dating back to 1832, is situated in Aylesbury Library building.

Following a restructure in recent times that section of the library was referred to as the Centre for Buckinghamshire Studies.

But council chiefs feel that the Buckinghamshire archives is a better name, and that council has paid for new signage to reflect this.

Cllr Patrick Hogan, cabinet member for culture at Buckinghamshire Council, explained the reason for the change, he said: “We have found the name Centre for Buckinghamshire Studies didn’t have a lot of meaning for people who didn’t know what the centre was, or about the unique collections in our care.

"We feel that the new name makes what we have to offer much clearer to the public .

"The move to the new unitary council earlier this year provided the perfect opportunity to work with our in-house communications team to change the branding and the signage of the service to Buckinghamshire Archives.

"Sadly, Buckinghamshire Archives remains closed to in-person visits for the foreseeable future due to Covid-19. However, the team is still busy behind the scenes planning a virtual history festival for September, and is also open to enquiries via email, including family and house histories. Get in touch with the team by emailing [email protected].”

A brief history of collecting archives in Buckinghamshire

1938

On 12 May 1938, the County Council resolved to appoint the first Archivist for Bucks, for a princely salary of £300 per annum. A Mr. R. Eaton of Aylesbury was employed to adapt rooms at County Hall for the use of an archivist. The original offices were in the old prison building, and records were kept in the cells, which are now used as treatment rooms for the Archway beauty salon!

1966

The opening of the new County Hall on Walton Street in 1966 saw bespoke accommodation built for the Record Office, as it was known then, which is still in use today – complete with strong rooms now packed to the rafters, and where the original features of Fred Pooley’s County Hall, such as the wood parquet flooring, can still be seen.

2001

In 2001 the Record Office joined with the county Local Studies Library, to become the Centre for Buckinghamshire Studies. With the aid of National Lottery Heritage Funds, new premises were opened to allow the public better access to the facilities

2020

The service becomes Buckinghamshire Archives, at a time when the team are busy adapting to a situation that will certainly take up a lot of space in the history books…

Follow Buckinghamshire Archives on social media, as @bucksarchives on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.