Local Heritage at Sutton-in-Ashfield Library

The Local Heritage section at Sutton-in-Ashfield Library is located on the Second Floor, accessible by lift and stairs.

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

There are resources to help you trace:

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

The book collection has approximately 5000 volumes, inclusing County Reserve copies of local Fiction and Non-Fiction titles.

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 Sutton is the reference for titles concerned with the history of the town in general, but topics such as Mining or Factories have specific numbers – indexes are available, and staff will be able to help.

Periodicals held at the library include:

Periodicals include:

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

The library holds copies of the following local newspapers on microfilm, and there may also be relevant articles in titles accessible via Inspire’s FREE subscription to the British Newspaper Archive 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.

CHAD (Ashfield edition)     1993-2018

Mansfield & Ashfield Recorder     1978 on

Mansfield & Sutton Observer     1969-1997

Notts Free Press     1885-1986

Recorder Free Press    1987-1990     

Sutton & Kirkby Independent     1906

Sutton & Kirkby News     1980-1993

Trade directories, from around 1800, include listings of local industries, and prominent people. The library has wide coverage of Nottinghamshire directories in microfiche format and a microfiche reader is provided.

There is also a set of electoral registers from 1838.

Ephemera files have been compiled over many years containing news cuttings, leaflets and uncatalogued information on various themes, including local industries, biographies etc.  Most items are not kept out in the main library, it is advised to phone ahead and ask what is available.

The photograph collection includes aprox. 1000 mounted images covering the period from the 1850s to the 1990s and including local places such as Skegby and Huthwaite.
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 in a map cabinet.
These include Ordnance Survey large scale 6-inch and 25-inch plans (plus metric equivalents) of the area from c.1880,
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 the most convenient way of searching for Census information.

Parish Registers on microfiche cover Sutton-in-Ashfield (and surrounding parishes) from c.1577 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 NottinghamshireArchives:

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