Records at Risk Grants funded in 2023

National Library of Scotland

In late 2022, the owner of Edinburgh’s iconic Filmhouse cinema was placed into administration. The cinema had long been the home of the Edinburgh Film Guild, the oldest continually operating film society in the work, putting their extensive archive and library at risk, including organisational records dating to the society’ foundation in 1929 and a collection of film stills and press packs dating further back to the mid-1920s.

Thanks to the support of the Records at Risk fund the University of Stirling and National Library of Scotland were able to work with Guild members to quickly move the collections out of the Filmhouse and into temporary storage to allow for the orderly transfer of the film still collection to Stirling and the archival and printed book components to the Library where they are undergoing processing prior to being made available to readers.

Hertford College, University of Oxford

Hertford College are delighted to have been awarded a grant towards the conservation of their Magdalen Hall Buttery Books, a unique collection of butlers’ working account books. The books primarily record the meals taken by members of the Hall, but also wages paid to staff, the price of basic food items and names of individual students with their date of entry into the Hall. Dating from 1661 to 1874, these large, parchment covered volumes have suffered from frequent mishandling, a disastrous fire in 1820 and a move to new buildings which now form part of Hertford College.

In the 20th century poor storage has added to the general wear and tear sustained by the Buttery Books. Recent investment has improved their storage conditions but restricted access during the pandemic coupled with historic water damage has allowed mould to develop on many of the volumes. A major library redevelopment is underway which will see new storeroom facilities completed in summer 2025; but in the interim they urgently need to stabilise this collection.

The Buttery Books have significant social history research potential and are an invaluable source of information for local and family historians; but none of this can currently be exploited. The Records at Risk Fund grant will enable them to send the Buttery Books for immediate cleaning and treatment by conservators so that they can be safely handled and catalogued; ready for safe transfer to new storage at the end of the building project. Hertford College look forward to making them much more widely available in the future, thanks to this crucial funding.

Oldham Local Studies and Archives

Oldham Local Studies and Archives are delighted to receive a Records at Risk grant to fund their project Capturing the Coliseum. The Coliseum dates back to 1885 when it began life as the home of the Grand American Circus and Hippodrome. The theatre – known then as the Colosseum – was surrounded by almost a dozen other theatres entertaining the town’s booming population working in Oldham’s cotton mills. Up until its closure, the award-winning Coliseum was the last surviving professional producing theatre in the town.

People's Heritage Cooperative

Since 1992 Friction Arts have created socially engaged projects and programmes internationally and have been based in Digbeth at the Edge from 2004. They take pride in their approach of making work that creates a difference to people

Friction Arts have a culturally significant collection representing and reflecting individuals and communities worked with in Birmingham, including artwork, performance, as well as primary source interviews, photography and film.  Its collection includes historically significant events and changes in their city like a series of projects lasting over four years documenting the stories of people working in the old Wholesale Market, now demolished, and other local markets located near Friction Arts.