The Doreen Blott Memorial Archive

One of the Society's functions is to look after the village archive, known as the Doreen Blott Memorial Archive. It was Doreen's drive and enthusiasm that encouraged the Society to begin collecting and preserving historical documents and artefacts relating to the Gransdens. These include photos, letters, maps, wartime documents, newspaper cuttings, archaeological finds such as pottery shards and stone implements, and indeed anything and everything connected with the Gransdens. Examples of old photos from the archive are displayed on this page. The plan is to change the displayed items on a regular basis to give an idea of the material we have in the archive.

Access to archive material is available to anyone on request via village archivists John and Val Davison.. Please contact them if there's anything in the archive you'd like to see. Items from the collection are not normally available for loan, but photocopies of some documents may be available if required.

Finding specific items in an archive is always a problem, so there's an ongoing long-term project to build a computer based catalogue of everything in the collection. This will eventually enable any item to be found quickly.

The Society occasionally mounts an exhibition of archive items, usually at Great Gransden Reading Room. These often have a specific theme and show items illustrating that theme, for instance 405 Squadron items. Also, items are often displayed at Society monthly meetings if relevant to the topic being presented.

The archive exists through the generosity of individuals who donate items of interest. If you have anything you think is worth preserving and wish to donate or perhaps loan it to the archive for the benefit of everyone, please contact John or Val Davison to discuss.