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kentarchives.bsky.social
Kent Archives
@kentarchives.bsky.social
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A nationally accredited archive repository for Kent, established in 1933 and based in Maidstone. Get involved and keep up-to-date with the latest news and events from our service.

This account is monitored from Monday to Friday, 8:30am - 5pm.
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kentarchives.bsky.social
…and that's a wrap! 🎬

Our 2025 lunchtime talks programme concluded today with a fascinating sports-themed presentation delivered by our very own Dr Catherine Budd.

We've thoroughly enjoyed welcoming you all this year and look forward to seeing you again in 2026.
Dr Catherine Budd presents her lunchtime talk at Kent History and Library Centre, Maidstone. About the talk: Through an examination of local newspapers and archival documents held at Kent Archives, this talk will explore the sports of rowing, cycling and swimming, and the development of clubs across urban Kent. The talk considers the debates around amateurs, professionals and money, as well as issues of competition, class, the participation of women, health, commercialisation, modernity, and civic pride. The development of the three sports will be placed within the wider context of socio-economic change and will demonstrate the proliferation of a wide variety of clubs and the popularity of sport for both participants and spectators. Dr Catherine Budd is an Archive Services Officer at Kent Archives. She holds a PhD in the history of sport and previously worked as a lecturer, teaching modern British and European history.
November 10, 2025 at 4:09 PM
kentarchives.bsky.social
It was great to see so many familiar and new faces at Pam Mills' lunchtime talk today, including several with personal connections to #KentPolice. Our thanks to Pam for delivering an insightful presentation.

Join us next month for our final talk of 2025 – details coming soon…
Pam Mills presents her lunchtime talk at County Hall, Maidstone. About the talk: 2024 was the 80th anniversary of the first recruitment of policewomen in Kent, the Second World War having opened the doors to female officers. Did war accelerate change? How did women carve out a path of respectability within a male dominated organisation? Pam Mills will examine these questions and other issues, such as the reluctance of Chief Constables to recruit women into the force and how after the war, change was inevitable. Pam is a former police officer and has written several books about the history of policing. The most recent of these is 'Commanding Kent County Constabulary 1857–1957' and her next book – currently with the publishers – is titled 'Reflections of 80 years: telling the story of Policewomen in Kent'. Pam will bring a collection box for donations to the charity 'Care of Police Survivors', which supports the families of police officers and staff who have lost their lives on duty.
October 13, 2025 at 3:03 PM
kentarchives.bsky.social
Final call to reserve your seat!

Join us next Monday for Pam Mill's free-to-attend lunchtime talk. Contact us today to avoid disappointment... 💺💺💺
October 9, 2025 at 8:06 AM
kentarchives.bsky.social
Very kind words, Kathleen – thank you from the team! 😊
September 30, 2025 at 12:20 PM
kentarchives.bsky.social
G is for… #Gilding

The application of gold leaf or powder to the text, margins, bindings and text block edges of important documents. Often used to embellish theological texts and records relating to the nobility to express reverence and emphasise prestige.

#KAconservationAtoZ
Shown here is part of a Lettre de Bourgeoisie – a formal document once issued in certain European regions to grant non-native individuals specific rights and privileges. This example, with blue and gold marginal decoration, was received by Philip Stanhope (2nd Earl) and his son, Charles Stanhope (3rd Earl) from the Republic of Geneva in 1771 [ref. U1590/C709/2] Given the prestige of receiving such rights in a foreign region and the social status of the recipients, this manuscript exemplifies the type of historical document that might feature gilt decoration. Gold embellishments can be achieved in several ways. Methods include applying fine gold leaf over a thin layer of adhesive (flat gilding); affixing gold leaf to a substrate textured with gesso (raised gilding); mixing gold powder with gum arabic to create a gold paint (shell gold); and in bookbinding, impressing heated tools into leather through gold leaf to achieve lettering and ornate decoration (gold tooling).
September 29, 2025 at 11:24 AM
kentarchives.bsky.social
F is for… #Fasteners

Whilst attached with good intention, these now-corroded clasps – ranging from split pins and staples to bulldog clips – cause mechanical and chemical damage to documents. Our team replaces these with brass paperclips which do not rust.

#KAconservationAtoZ
Shown here is a selection of corroded paper fasteners which have been removed from documents at Kent Archives. The harm caused to documents by historical fasteners can be categorised as mechanical damage, such as punctures, pressure and abrasion; and chemical damage, such as staining and embrittlement in the vicinity of a deteriorating fastener due to the formation of metal oxides (e.g. rust) and acidic compounds. Although a preservation concern, it’s thanks to these crusty clasps that many historical records survive in original order — giving present-day researchers a clearer understanding of the context, authenticity, and significance of archive collections. Designed with archival applications in mind, the brass paperclip is our go-to alternative. Coupled with a small piece of folded acid free paper or card to prevent distortion of the document, brass paperclips are safe for long-term use and allow the original arrangement of records to be maintained in a way that is non-invasive.
September 10, 2025 at 8:29 AM
kentarchives.bsky.social
Our thanks to Tim Reardon of #Dover Harbour Board for presenting a fascinating lunchtime talk today at Kent Archives.

Join us in October for our penultimate presentation of the year (how time flies!) and for a special event in #Canterbury – to be announced soon… 👀
Tim Reardon presents his lunchtime talk at Kent History and Library Centre, Maidstone. About the talk: Using Dover Harbour Board files that are soon to be transferred to Kent Archives and Local History Service, this talk will explore the development of the port in the first half of the 20th century, its attempts to capture a share of the transatlantic liner traffic, and the challenges of operating a commercial business within a strategic naval base.
September 8, 2025 at 3:11 PM
kentarchives.bsky.social
#DidYouKnow that mid-20th century school dinner recipes were still being served to students in Kent and beyond as late as the early 2000s?

Which of these savoury dishes and desserts had you going back for seconds — and which left you wishing you'd brought a packed lunch? 🧃🥪
Shown here is a sample of main courses and desserts from a ring-bound booklet titled 'School Meals Service Recipe Book' issued by the Kent Education Committee, November 1957 [ref. C/E/15/4] Love them or loathe them, there was no escaping the concoctions in this volume if you attended school in Britain between the 1950s and early 2000s. That's right — many of these, shall we say, “vintage” recipes lingered on dinner hall menus well into the early 21st century! Among the nightmare-inducing dishes we'd really rather forget are cold boiled bacon, meat roly poly, pilchards, and the unappetisingly-named 'brown stew'. That said, the recipe book redeems itself when we reach the desserts section. From an array of sponge-based puddings and delicious biscuits to fruit crumbles and flavoured custards, it's a reminder that not everything served in the dinner hall was a culinary crime. We'll still pass on the tapioca pudding, though...
September 2, 2025 at 3:51 PM
kentarchives.bsky.social
Hi Chris 😊 Our friends at the Kent Archaeological Society have transcriptions of the tithe apportionments available to view on their website. See here:
www.kentarchaeology.org.uk/records/tithe-commutation-surveys?rq=tithe

I hope that's helpful but let us know if you have any queries!
Tithe Commutation Surveys, 1830s-1840s — Kent Archaeological Society
The Tithe Commutation surveys carried out from the 1830s to 1840s, provide a great deal of information about land ownership, tenancy and land use at the time.
www.kentarchaeology.org.uk
August 18, 2025 at 2:23 PM