About the Archive
Chagford Local History Society manages the Chagford Archive, an extensive collection of original items and copies of rare historical material, including photographs, maps, Census returns, trade directories, school log books from 1863 to 1971, journals, books, a full-size copy of the parish Tithe map showing every field and building dating from the early 1840s, house histories, research material on the changing face of the town and much more.
Thanks to a Heritage Lottery Fund grant in 2017, Chagford Archive is now properly housed and manged according to professional standards. It is adjacent to the Jubilee Hall, at the back of Chagford Public Library, and comprises an Archive Room, where materials are stored under controlled atmospheric conditions, and a study space outside which is also used by Library visitors (most notably the Chagford Lego Club).
Please note that visits to the archive can only be made by appointment. Please use the form below.
A safe and accessible place for our heritage
Chagford Archive collects all printed matter, photographs and recordings (audio and video) relevant to the history of the town and the surrounding area. We are actively keen to acquire new deposits, but cannot accept artefacts (i.e. material objects such as tools or clothes as opposed to photos, letters and similar paper-based records), because we lack the space to store or display such items. Please contact the Archivist if you have something to donate.
Our collection is currently being fully re-catalogued using a professional database software (Modes Compact) to help make the holdings more accessible to the wider public. There are already almost 10,000 items in the collection, nearly half of which have been catalogued by local volunteers and are now searchable from this website. Highlights of our holdings include local school records and parish magazines dating back to the 1860s, dozens of school photographs, and many historic local maps. The Society has also conducted dozens of interviews with local residents over the past four decades which have recently been digitized, and we are actively exploring ways to make some of this material available to the public via this website. Enquiries about our holdings can be made using this search link:
Would you like to help?
Please also use the link below if you would like to volunteer in the archive to help with cataloguing or to assist visiting researchers]. Further information about volunteering is available here.
Contact the Archive
If you would like to visit the archive, donate some material or offer to help please use the form below. (If you wish to contact us about anything else please go here.)