WISEArchive
Working Lives

Projects

Water, Mills, Marshes. Life and Work on the Broads 1920-2020

Water Mills Marshes.
Life and Work on the Broads
1920-2020.
Published October 2020
Almost 100 stories were recorded for this Heritage Lottery funded project, as part of the larger Water, Mills and Marshes project https://watermillsandmarshes.org.uk/.

There are tales of life and childhood on the marshes; stories of work and boating on the waterways; restoration of mills, and stories of the great variety of work and activities taking place on the marshes including conservation initiatives.  It concludes with a glimpse into a possible future for the Broads.

The book is available from good bookshops and from Bittern Books  https://bitternbooks.co.uk/product/water-mills-and-marshes/?bbaf=wise .

See the Water, Mills & Marshes archive and News.

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Norfolk crafts

Stories from people for whom crafts are a way of life.

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Colman’s of Norwich: former employees

Working lives of former Colman employees

lotteryUnder our Heritage Lottery Funded  project – Rbook coverecording the stories of former Colman employees we collected many interesting stories about this internationally known Norwich business – now owned by Unilever – the earliest being the tale of a young teenager who worked there in 1935.  Our book entitled Colman’s of Norwich: Stories of Former Employees 1935-1995 is available from bookshops or direct from us, price £12, including postage.

Hear more about it on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyspG242ufw

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Corton House Norwich

Stories from residents of Corton House, Norwich.

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Doughty’s Hospital Norwich

Stories from residents of Doughty’s Hospital, Norwich.

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Magdalen Gates Norwich

Schoolchildren from Magdalen Gates School and their families meet residents of Doughty’s Hospital, Norwich. Pictures from our project with pupils from Magdalen Gates Primary School, Norwich.

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Gressenhall Beech House

Stories from people who remember life at Gressenhall Beech House.

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Milk Marketing Board

A variety of stories from people who worked for the Milk Marketing Board.

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Working in the Health Services 1946-2003


bookThis volume contains stories told to WISEArchive’s volunteers over the period 2008 to 2013 by men and women who worked in the UK health sector during the twentieth century. Some of them were already at work before the start of the NHS, some entered relatively late in their working lives. They adapted to changing times as working conditions, attitudes to patients, knowledge and expectations evolved over the decades. They were not averse to change and took the opportunities as they arose to change jobs and retrain as their careers developed. They accepted the long hours and more physical work required of them compared to today; they talk about poor food and rationing and describe some desperate living conditions, especially in the cities following the war.
Contact us to purchase a copy (£7 including p&p) 

Mile Cross Residents

Stories from people living in the Mile Cross area of Norwich.

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Jarrolds: former employees

In 2006 WISEArchive collected stories from former employees of Jarrold of Norwich. The common theme is expressed by Tony when he says, ‘Politeness, civility and helpfulness was the main motto, and that’s how it was’.

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The Cohen interviews. Early social work

Interviewer: Alan Cohen. Editors: Tim Cook and Harry Marsh. Transcriptions and collation by WISEArchive volunteers. Digitally hosted by the Modern Records Centre at University of Warwick.

This collection will be of interest to those concerned with the development of social work and the caring professions. The interviews are available in both audio and transcript form together with introductions, notes and a bibliography.

Social workers speak out