BIRMINGHAM CITY ARCHIVES

Description

Collecting policy covers material concerning or related to the City of Birmingham, although large collections usually have wider implications. There are substantial collections of oral history and folk music revival related sound recordings, nearly all master copies only. Highlights include the Charles Parker (BBC Radio producer, writer, actor, etc.) Archive (MS 4000) : CD copies of about 1200 recordings of folk music and song, traditional and revival singers, and classes held by Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger on song, performance, etc. with the Critics group, c. 1965-1972, are now (2004) available from a project,
'A Future for Ordinary Folk’, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund; listening cassette copies of some of the radio ballad source material are also available. Banner Theatre Company Archive (MS 1611, permission needed). Philip Donnellan Archive (MS 1938: film material in need of conservation and currently unavailable). Oral history tapes deposited by Professor Carl Chinn, local historian (MS 1902, permission needed). Cassettes made by the Digbeth and Deritend Local History Project in 1986 (MS 1497) and other smaller collections.
Listening copies of recordings of Birmingham people from the ‘Millenibrum’ Project (2000-2001) are available in the Local Studies and History Department of the Central Library.

Keywords

Banner Theatre Company; Birmingham; Critics Group; Digbeth; Donnellan; Philip; Folk music; Folk Revival; Folk Song;Local history; Midlands; MacColl; Ewan; Parker; Charles (BBC radio producer); Radio; Radio Ballads; Seeger; Peggy

Access

Opening hours: Closed Monday; 10 - 5 Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday; 10 - 8 Thursday.
It is necessary to phone in advance if you want to listen to a recording. All users of the City Archives are required to produce official proof of name address and signature in order to obtain a County Archive Research Network ticket.

Facilities

One Cassette and one CD player. Headphones must be used. Viewing of videotapes can be arranged with prior notice. Restrictions are often due to lack of a listening copy. Prior permission from the depositor is necessary for certain collections.

Charges

None.

Moving Image, Audio and Related Documentation Holdings

Sound

Yes. See description of collections.

Catalogues

Card catalogue

Full catalogue of the ‘A Future for Ordinary Folk’ material. (MS 4000/5). Draft catalogues of some collections, but not all.

Main Contact

Name

Ms. Sian Roberts

Job title

Senior Archivist

Department

Archives Department

Telephone

0121 303 4217

Fax

0121 212 9397

Email

archives@birmingham.gov.uk

Address

Central Library
Seventh Floor
Chamberlain Square
Birmingham
B3 3HQ