Archives & Research
Resource Area
Our resource area is a welcoming and well-equipped space, offering free Wi-Fi, computers, printers, and photocopiers for members to use at no cost. Members have the opportunity to explore our extensive image collection, documents, maps, and other sources of information.
Photographs and documents can be printed for a small fee or accessed for free by members. Please note that access to the full archives is limited for non-members. Additionally, our resource area is available for rent for small meetings. For more information, please email us.
Refreshments are available for a small charge.
Our Archives
The Nat archives and library house a treasure trove of materials, including hundreds of books, documents, photographs, maps, and plans all related to Bacup. Our library is well-stocked with local history books, pamphlets, and gazetteers, along with other research collections on local mills, mines, public houses, and chapels, compiled by dedicated late members.
The collection features a wide array of documents (some available exclusively to members), such as the parish relief book of 1864, booklets, leaflets, service documents from both World Wars, advertisements, receipts, letterheads, diaries, scrapbooks, ledgers, invitations, certificates, and menu cards.
We are also thrilled to announce that our newspaper archive is once again accessible at the Nat library, as well as online through our Rossendale Newspaper Archive. This invaluable resource was generously donated by the late Mr. Peter Fisher. The collection includes the Bacup Times, several editions of the Free Press, the Bacup Echo, and the Bacup and Stacksteads Chronicle.
Life through the Lens
Our photograph collection includes over 5,000 images ranging from glass plate negatives, lantern slides, photograph and postcard albums and individual photographs of all sizes. covering various topics such as transport, mills, churches and people. They provide an invaluable pictorial record of Bacup and Stacksteads streets, shops, businesses, houses, people, events, buildings and organisations, making up an interesting collection depicting the life and times of the people and the past of Bacup and Stacksteads and surrounding areas.
If you have a photograph you can’t identify call in and see us. There is a good chance one of our members could help you!
“If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten.”
Rudyard Kipling
Family History
We have various documents to aid you in your family history research.
Our Family History Group meets every Thursday in the NAT rooms, please pop in and see us.
