Bury Archives & Local History

27/09/2025

📣 New Archive Collection Alert! 🗃️✨

We’re thrilled to unveil a fascinating new addition to our archives: “Babette of Bury” – a lovely collection that offers a unique glimpse into the legacy and local impact of Babette & John Anthony. Read more about it over on our blog:

We’re proud of our shopping heritage in Bury, and echoes of bygone shopping days still linger on in people’s memory; so it’s a real privilege to be given the chance to preserve th…

08/05/2025

A post from our blog on how Bury celebrated VE Day in 1945

Using three editions of The Bury Times newspaper published just after VE day in 1945 we discover how the town celebrated this momentous occasion in history. Be inspired by archives. Out of the dark…

03/05/2025

Our latest blog post is all about Ramsbottom’s War Weapons Week in 1941, a significant event during World War II that showcased the town's dedication to the war effort.

We’ve been very busy in the archives during the run-up to V.E. Day – discovering stories of past communities who came together during the upheaval of war and, along with the nation as a whole…

24/12/2024

Our Christmas blog this year features Christmas cards from the archives. From all of us at Bury Archives, wishing you and yours a happy and restful Christmas period.

In a world increasingly dominated by digital communications – where it’s far easier (and cheaper!) to ping off a few seasonal emojis to our nearest and dearest – we’d like to take…

30/11/2024

This copy of The Leopold Shakespeare was the first book ever issued from Radcliffe Library, on 19th October, 1907. It was issued to the father of Mr. Fred Pickstone, and afterwards presented to him, then returned as a gift to the library by his son in January, 1965.

23/11/2024

Our photograph today is a portrait of the old and the new: the construction of Chesham Fold Housing Estate set against the backdrop of older housing stock and iconic mill chimneys. The estate was finished before the start of WWII, some of the houses were later used to house Channel Island evacuees.

10/11/2024

To mark Remembrance Sunday this year we have a photograph taken in 1955: a very respectful scene at the Cenotaph in Radcliffe, where individuals gather to remember all those locals who died in WWI and WWII.