WFOHW has been collecting its own material since 1983 and has recordings made by others from the 1970s; there are now more than 1000 recordings. Though the Workshop is an independent voluntary group, since its inception it has had a close relationship with Waltham Forest Archives and Local Studies Library based at Chingford Assembly Hall, next to Chingford Library.
If you have recordings – perhaps from a project you ran, or from family or friends about aspects of life in Waltham Forest – we would be happy to take them into our archive and make them available for others to share. Contact us with details of what you have.
When we began we used some of the best and worst equipment available at the time, there are more than 400 audio cassettes in the archive which are of varying quality. We now record digitally and quality has certainly improved since 1983; most recent recordings have been digital on accession to the collection.
We have transcribed a lot of our recordings by AI transcription software: on good recordings with clear speech it is very accurate; on poor recordings much less so. In particular proper names are often wrong. Transcripts produced this way have NOT been proofed or checked for spelling or accuracy. You should check the AI transcript against the original audio and WFOHW accepts no liability for any errors, omissions or inaccuracies in these transcripts. Please let us know of any issues so we can correct them.
1
Engineer at Low Hall, about steam engine for museum.
John Howes
06/10/1972
2020-05-12 12:05:44
2
Low Hall farm pumping engine
08/10/1972
2020-05-12 12:05:44
3
Low Hall farm pumping engine
2020-05-12 12:05:44
4
Personal history, N Chingford Town's Women's Guild
Sue Agate
13/05/1974
2020-05-12 12:05:44
5
interviews on playing cards exhibition. BBC Radio 4 Women's Hour about workers at VHM
19/04/1975
2020-05-12 12:05:44
6
personal history school home life family
Sue Agate
07/11/1975
2020-05-12 12:05:44
7
early\ life and work; WW1 Royal Engineers - signaller in Mesopotamia (p7)
Sue Agate/ Jane Dansie
14/07/1976
2020-05-12 12:05:44
8
cart builder, British Xylonite.
Sue Agate
04/02/1977
2020-05-12 12:05:44
9
life story
Sue Agate
25/02/1977
2020-05-12 12:05:44
10
Walthamstow buses, early life
Sue Agate
15/07/1977
2020-05-12 12:05:44
11
No information
2020-05-12 12:05:44
12
New boots and panties
2020-05-12 12:05:44
13
Star Radio and TV shop, Chingford Mount Road; history radio and TV 1935-1963; twinning of Chingford; John Logie Baird
07/03/1978
2020-05-12 12:05:44
14
born 1901, AV Roe & Cobham's flying circus, butchers Walthamstow, Coppermill Lane School, bus driver Leyton, St James St shops
David Mander
17/08/1978
2020-05-12 12:05:44
15
Sue Agate interviewed on a 'load of old rubbish' exhibition. Travel news - landslip on Chingford line.
12/05/1978
2020-05-12 12:05:44
16
Chingford fairs (transcribed). Reminiscence forest keepers, the warren, hunting lodge.
Sue Agate
23/01/1978
2020-05-12 12:05:44
17
suffrage socialism politics
06/01/1975
2020-05-12 12:05:44
18
Payne's pram business
Jane Dansie
22/10/1979
2020-05-12 12:05:44
19
social life, shops, street life, games
05/05/1979
2020-05-12 12:05:44
20
Leyton fire brigade Coronation Gardens, see also 367
20/06/1980
2020-05-12 12:05:44
21
radio interview
15/09/1981
2020-05-12 12:05:45
22
British Xylonite, Ensign camers and butchers - int David Mander
10/04/1980
2020-05-12 12:05:45
23
Lea Bridge Gas Works, bricklayer,retort houses
21/11/1978
2020-08-12 12:05:45
24
Gas works manager 1903-52
2020-11-12 12:05:45
25
Lea Bridge gas works, 1913 onwards, WWI, the Buffs, East Kent regiment
23/11/1978
2020-11-12 12:05:45
This is a regularly updated database of recordings made by WFOHW since 1983, and including some other recordings made by Vestry House Museum since 1970.
If you would like to find out more about specific recordings, listen to them, or consult the paper records then contact us.
Use of our recordings is regulated by our Condition of Use; you can check these here.
