Local Heritage at Hucknall Library

The Local Heritage section at Hucknall Library is located on the mezzanine floor, with access by lift or stairs.

The collection contains a range of material relating to Hucknall and the surrounding area, with background material on Nottinghamshire and the East Midlands.

There are resources to help you trace:

•          History of local places
•          Recent local developments
•          Transport
•          Local industries/businesses
•          Social history
•          Family history

The book collection has approximately 1300 volumes, including approximately 200 items in the Byron Special Collection. Notable books include J.H. Beardsmore’s ‘History of Hucknall Torkard’ 1909 and a volume of ‘The works of Lord Byron with his Letters and Journals and his Life of 1840’.
A main feature is the Byron collection of printed works by and about the poet (search by the classification number L85 Byr and sub-divisions).

Some items are only available to be consulted in the library, but wherever possible we offer a loan copy of the title as well. The majority can be searched for on the library catalogue but some are not yet included. The Local Studies classification numbers can be used to find books on specific themes e.g. L90.2 Hucknall is the reference for titles concerned with the history of the town in general, but topics such as Mining or Local Authors have specific numbers – indexes are available, and library staff will be able to help.

Titles in the collection include:

• The Nottinghamshire Historian
• Transactions of the Thoroton Society of Nottinghamshire (history and archaeology)
• Local magazines 
• East Midlands History and Heritage

The library has copies, on microfilm, of local newspapers:

Hucknall Dispatch                                                                  
1903-2005

Hucknall Echo                                                                        
March-June 1903

Hucknall Morning Star and Advertiser                            
May 1889 – Dec 1909

Hucknall Star and Rushcliffe Advertiser                         
March 1910-1913

Rushcliffe Advertiser                                                             
March 1888-April 1909

South Nottingham Gazette and West Bridgford Advertiser   
Sept. 1901-April 1903, Jan 1908-Dec 1910

A non-digital microfilm reader and printer machine is available.                                  

N.B. Not all Nottinghamshire tiles are currently included in the British Newspaper Archive, although there may be relevant articles in other titles accessible via this FREE subscription available in Inspire Libraries and at Nottinghamshire Archives.
A list of Nottinghamshire titles in digital format on the British Newspaper Archive can be found here.

The trade directories, some county-wide, covering the period from around 1790, give contemporary information about Hucknall, including listings of local industries, and prominent people. Some are available in microfiche format.

Ephemera files have been compiled over many years containing news cuttings, leaflets and uncatalogued information on various themes, including local industries, biographies etc. arranged by theme in boxes.

The photograph collection includes approx. 1000  mounted images, mainly covering the period from the 1850s to the 1980s.
These are arranged by theme in filing cabinets and an index to the classification scheme is available.

Over 25,000 Nottinghamshire images have been digitised and are available on the Inspire Picture Archive.

The Library holds maps and plans covering the period from around 1800 to the early 21st century. 

These include Ordnance Survey large scale 6-inch and 25-inch plans (plus metric equivalents) of the area from c.1880, and some copies of earlier maps.
Maps are available to browse. If you have a specific query about mapping please contact us direct via Ask Inspire.

The free access to Ancestry.co.uk in libraries and at Nottinghamshire Archives is a convenient way of searching for Census information.

Parish Registers on microfiche cover Hucknall (and surrounding parishes) from c.1561 into the Twentieth Century (where they survive).  Microfiche copies in the library have been well-used for many years, but from August 2022 the majority of records are available via Inspire's FREE subscription to Ancestry.co.uk. A full list of those available online is here.

A separate family history collection of some key titles to help with the process of researching family history is also available in general library stock.

For help with specific enquiries please contact Ask Inspire.

Archival records such as wills, diaries, original parish registers, business and personal correspondence etc. are held at Nottinghamshire Archives.

County House
Castle Meadow Road
Nottingham
NG2 1AG
Email: archives@inspireculture.org.uk
Tel: 0115 9581634