Our project is moving into the second stage and for that we need YOU! Are you Polish or have a Polish connection in your family. We want to hear your family’s story of migration. Polish people make up 5% of the Waltham Forest population. But not everyone with Polish blood came over to the UK … Continued
[:en]Love stories? Love history? Then join our oral history training on 16th September to unlock some of Waltham Forests best kept secrets. Memory is a strange beast – it can be altered, mislead and suppressed. But none of that means it isn’t true in the mind of the individual, or any less fascinating. These are … Continued
[:en]Today our website goes live. It’s also less than a month to the opening of our exhibition. If you’re reading this blog then you’ve obviously been browsing the new website. I hope you like it.
[:en]The plan was to recruit 5-10 volunteers to help us conduct some archive research around Polish migration to Waltham Forest. We popped an advert in The Guardian and suddenly 18 incredibly dedicated and enthusiastic volunteers appeared before us! After a hasty scramble to find a new (larger) room for our training day, we brought them … Continued
[:en]Today I visited The National Archives. It is a fantastic place although there is little information related to Lebus Factory or the Polish migration to Walthamstow. Most of the documents that I’ve consulted regarded to legal proceedings from the Royal Commision on Awards to inventors, requested by Mr. Lebus in 1950 onwards. The most interesting … Continued
[:en]Deep within the archives of Bruce Castle Museum we came across a name – Henry Michael Buritsky. Henry was a first wave migrant Pole living in Waltham Forest. We’re trying to find his living relatives. Last year, whilst searching boxes and boxes of archive materials at Bruce Castle Museum, our volunteers stumbled upon a list … Continued
[:en]Our third and final Polish heritage event takes place on Saturday 6th December. It’s the last chance to share your stories of Polish migration with us. First there was the Polish buffet at Miod Malina on Walthamstow High Street (pictured), then we gathered at St Patrick’s Church on Blackhorse Road. Each time we met more … Continued
[:en]As our project draws to a close, we’re looking for volunteers who will help us curate our final exhibition, to be held during this year’s E17 Art Trail. Could that be you?