Village Archive

The history of the archive

This Archive started as an initiative of Margaret Rosenthal with a team of enthusiasts from the History Group within the Wheatley Society, initially without premises and later, thanks to a generous subsidy by Wheatley Parish Council, in a small room in the Merry Bells village hall.  All the archives were carefully catalogued and filed in neatly indexed boxes in a database that now has over 2,300 records.

The village archives have now returned to Wheatley library where staff and Archive volunteers can assist visitors. From Septermber 2023, the Archive will only be manned by Archive volunteers from 2-4.30 on the first Thursday afternoon in the month (rather than most Thurdsday afternoons). Alternatively, an appointment can be made during Library opening hours with Michael Heaton at info@wheatleyarchive.org.uk.

The process to digitise the archive and create the current website started in 2018 and was largely complete by the end of 2019. This made the records in the archive accessible to past and present inhabitants of Wheatley worldwide and whose records these are, in the hope that this will encourage others to add any records which we do not already have. You do not need to part with your originals – either come into the Library when it is open or contact Michael Heaton at info@wheatleyarchive.org.uk. who will arrange to scan your original at his home in the High Street.

In December 2018, Wheatley Village Archive became registered charity number 1180964. Early in 2024, it converted to an unregistered charity now run by the following trustees: Roger Bell, Steph Cox, Martin Gibson, John Halliday Michael Heaton (chairman) and Catherine Lane. There are no disadvantages aridsing from this change with the main change being that its accounts are no longer shown on the Charity Commission website. Details on upcoming AGMs can be obtained from michael@wheatleyarchive.org.uk

 



How to use this part of the website

Please refer back to the HOME page where this is covered in detail

Some archive items were of poor quality to be digitised and can only be inspected in WVA, the Wheatley Village Archive. Faded or otherwise deteriorated photos are 'improved', but the originals can always be inspected in WVA. Many archive items of General Information (G), Societies (S), Events (E) and People (P) do not have links to a particular address, so these categories are shown with single-lettered teardrops adjacent to 'Wheatley' on the map. There are very many such records and it will be better to use the word search process for these. If you are looking for Railway records, a teardrop is shown by the wording 'Dismantled Railway' on the map. Nearly all the property-based archive is now on the website, but people, events and other archives will be added on a continuing basis.

Please report any failings to Michael Heaton at info@wheatleyarchive.org.uk