Conserving Bradford School Log Books

Back in 2019 (prior to Covid-19), the conservation team embarked upon a project from our Bradford collections. The project consisted of five school log books dating from 1873 right up until 1958. The log books were from Cambridge Place Infants board School, Cambridge Place Junior board school, Wapping Road Infants board school, Wapping Road Junior …

The Gall Of It: Making Medieval Ink

Historically, iron gall ink was a widely used material and the standard writing medium throughout Europe.  Many of the records held at the West Yorkshire Archive Service Wakefield are written in iron gall ink, including the recipe books of Sabine Winn in the Nostell Priory collection (WYW1352) and the West Riding Quarter Session records (QS1). …

What bugs you? Identifying Insects in the Archives

Bugs. They’re everywhere. Even in our archives! Most of the six and eight legged friends we find in the buildings that house our archives don’t actually live there. They have wandered in from the outdoors much like the insects you find in your own home. But how do we know which ones are harmless to …

How to make your own Pamphlet Binding

Perfect for a hand-made gift and ideal for anyone with school-age children who are looking to give their teacher a unique end-of term thank you present. A while back, during lockdown, I had a go making some marbled paper with my two children (aged 4 and 6) as a little creative art project. It was …