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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Cambridgeshire => Topic started by: relatedtoturnips on Tuesday 05 May 15 17:04 BST (UK)
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Hi folks,
I understand the Cambridgeshire Archives are moving to Ely. I always thought the archives of a County, should be in a central location of that county.
Now it will involve a lot more travel for people to get to the Archives.
What are your thoughts?
http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/info/20011/archives_archaeology_and_museums/177/archives_and_local_studies/11
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It will be a win for some people and a loss for others as is always the case with situations like this.
Given that the present accommodation is unsatisfactory it is good they are doing something.
Given that they have to do something it is good they have looked at the costs involved and acted prudently.
Given it is not easy to get to Cambridge and park there it is a good thing they are acting.
My only hesitance is that Ely is not exactly the easiest place to get too and I can see the usage of the archives probably falling as a result of the new location.
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It will be a win for some people and a loss for others as is always the case with situations like this.
Given that the present accommodation is unsatisfactory it is good they are doing something.
Given that they have to do something it is good they have looked at the costs involved and acted prudently.
Given it is not easy to get to Cambridge and park there it is a good thing they are acting.
My only hesitance is that Ely is not exactly the easiest place to get too and I can see the usage of the archives probably falling as a result of the new location.
I think Cambridge is easier to get to, with the park & ride system they have. Ely is worse I think, and I agree with you that the usage of the archives will diminish with the new location.
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Oh and I should have added that many archives around the country are not in a central location in their respective counties
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At least they will still be in a town and relatively easily accessible by public transport, bus and train.
Try Northumberland Archives! They are right 'out in the sticks'. If you want to get there by public transport you must take the bus to Ashington and then either take a walk of a good 15 minutes (according to their website) or get a taxi. The nearest train station is some 7 miles away.
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At least they will still be in a town and relatively easily accessible by public transport, bus and train.
I have just looked at train fares (without railcard)
Cheapest return London to Cambridge (£9 there £6 back) = £15 return
Cheapest return London to Ely = £29.50 return
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At least they will still be in a town and relatively easily accessible by public transport, bus and train.
I have just looked at train fares (without railcard)
Cheapest return London to Cambridge (£9 there £6 back) = £15 return
Cheapest return London to Ely = £29.50 return
I didn't say it would be cheap ;D I said it would be relatively accessible compared to (for instance) Northumberland Archives ;D
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Hi Jen
Sorry I should have phrased it better ;D
You are right about 'at least it is still in a town' - having to walk 15 minutes or take a taxi would make the journey difficult/expensive for some. The authorities expect everyone to be able to drive to these places, or at least to the 'park & ride' nearby.
Rosie
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You can't please all the people all of the time. People who live in or near Ely are doubtless delighted.
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You can't please all the people all of the time. People who live in or near Ely are doubtless delighted.
Trouble is they dont please half the people half the time lol. ;D
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- having to walk 15 minutes or take a taxi would make the journey difficult/expensive for some.
You certainly wouldn't want to walk from Ashington to Woodhorn into the teeth of an easterly blowing in off the North Sea ::)
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- having to walk 15 minutes or take a taxi would make the journey difficult/expensive for some.
You certainly wouldn't want to walk from Ashington to Woodhorn into the teeth of an easterly blowing in off the North Sea ::)
Too right I wouldn't. ;D
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I shall not use the archives again once they have moved.
Just as concerning is moving the Cambridgeshire Collection from the Central Library to Ely, the newspaper collection, electoral registers, street directories etc., held there are invaluable and they did have purpose built storage facilities.
Selina
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I agree the whole thing seems rather bizarre and likely to make life more difficult for researchers.
I feel that surely, somehow, this invaluable archive should have had the priveledge of remaining in
the city. Dare I say it, but after all this is CAMBRIDGE!
The occasional look-up for me will be jeapodised, I like Ely but those long winter months and the long drive ..... not very appealing. As for the Cambridgeshire Collection I ask ask myself .... why?
P. S. I see that I am surrounded by fellow researchers with ancestors in the north. ;D
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At least they will still be in a town and relatively easily accessible by public transport, bus and train.
I have just looked at train fares (without railcard)
Cheapest return London to Cambridge (£9 there £6 back) = £15 return
Cheapest return London to Ely = £29.50 return
Play the system i.e. book London to Cambridge and separately Cambridge to Ely cheapest fare £4.40 =£8.80 return total £23.80. The rail fare site is not good tonight crashing so there may well be a cheaper fare. Using this system you must make certain that the train you catch stops at Cambridge otherwise there will be a heavy excess fare. £20 upwards.
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Wouldn't have minded going to Ely rather than Cambridge when I started my research back in 1999 as my parents lived [at that time] just the other side of Welney Wash!
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My tuppence.
The location of archives is always an annoyance for most people - they're either in the middle of cities, where travellers can't reach easily, and/or nowhere near parking, and/or aren't open that many hours.
As somebody "Cambridge born and bred" I'd rather go to Ely, easily park outside and take my time, rather than trying to faff about getting to the Shire Hall. Of course, that doesn't solve the problem of the inaccessible archives in the main library.
Many people have moved out of the area, especially as most researchers are probably older now and so moved out for "the quiet life", or married somebody from somewhere else, or had to relocate for work/whatever, so I bet it'll suit more rather than fewer.
Going forward, it's a money-saving exercise - but, bear in mind that Cambridge were told their archive storage is inadequate to meet the needs of an archive service - so the whole lot could have been wiped out through damp/whatever overnight if they were left where they were.
Maybe the new facility, in the future, with a slightly larger budget and more space, will be able to use their space/time/budget wisely to make more records available more easily ..... more digitization and online perusing.
While an annoyance if you happen to live in Histon Road/Huntingdon Road....I'm sure for those in Ely, the Fens, Peterborough, the edges of Newmarket, over at Huntingdon, down near Royston even ....and all those people who now live across the country and the world this is to be welcomed.
When I visit (next year), having driven up from Darzit, I'll be able to simply breeze into the car park without a tinker's care about how long I'll be parking and the cost of it :) Although, realistically, I'll be doing a round robin, so staying with a sibling in Northamptonshire.
I've already started bookmarking stuff in the CALM....including my G-granddad asking for permission to site a shed/cycle store in his garden -and my GG-granddad requesting a £2 loan from a charity to start a rag/bone business.
I shall not use the archives again once they have moved.
Just as concerning is moving the Cambridgeshire Collection from the Central Library to Ely, the newspaper collection, electoral registers, street directories etc., held there are invaluable and they did have purpose built storage facilities.
Ah, hadn't realised! Brilliant, finally everything I'd want, all in one place. Marvellous.
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Latest from our local paper
http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Cambridgeshire-Archives-Ely-spirals-6m-8211/story-27829532-detail/story.html
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Latest from our local paper
http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Cambridgeshire-Archives-Ely-spirals-6m-8211/story-27829532-detail/story.html
Once overpaid people get a bit of power they like to have "the latest", "the best" - and soon budgets are out of control as they add on unnecessary fripperies. I'm sure visitors to archives would rather have more of a service/more stuff and sit on £20 hard chairs than have the latest ergonomic, self-levelling chairs with eco-adjusted personal lighting zones "at a snip of £1400/workstation" ...and other such nonsense that soon creeps into these public sector vanity projects.
If they stick it in the library they'll all be able to snooze all day as it's pretty inaccessible to the majority ... so it'll be very, very quiet.
Normal people need to go through that budget and list of wants/needs and take a good hard biro to it.....
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Archive move to Ely.
I hope we see eventually see a good outcome on this.
I don't know what ergonomic, self-levelling chairs with eco-adjusted personal lighting zones are.
But sitting under an air-conditioner is the worst ..... while all the rest are smiling you sit with your
cardigan on and definitely not smiling.
;D
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I think it's only appropriate given the Diocese of Ely covers all of Cambridgeshire and has done so since ancient times.
In Ely there's free parking in most places and good train links from all over the country. There's a lovely riverside, the cathedral and lots beautiful medieval buildings so why not make it a nice day out. :)
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Yep ke: Reflecting on my earlier comment, you are so right.
For everyone else out there, easy access by train and some free convenient parking is just what you don't have in Cambridge.
Ely is a thriving market town with lots of charm, I second your comments on the riverside etc.
not to mention the Cathedral.
;D
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Does National Express go there :-\
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I would imagine so, but if you book in advance you should be able to get a ridiculously cheap deal from your nearest train station to Ely. Google National Rail and submit your details. The further ahead you book, up to 13 weeks usually the cheaper the fare.A few years ago my son managed Birmingham to Bournemouth for £2.50 + 50p booking fee, but he was lucky.
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Having looked at NE web page they go to Newmarket but not Ely. :(
Yes the railway gives excellent early booking deals and other cheap rates but unfortunately travel by train for me to Ely means two changes including a tube journey or alternatively tube then train. Trains into London can be very crowded and you could be very lucky to get a seat on them. Also true of the journey home leaving London. At least Cambridge is accessible by National Express albeit much dearer but you do get a seat all the way.
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Aye, looking at the timetables, I see it will take longer to cross town to get to Kings Cross than from there to Ely.
I'm easily swayed by a nice discount though :)
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Why not to Kings Cross by tube, and then out to Ely? Alternative Nat Express to Cambridge and then to Ely by train? When I do it I shall go Bournemouth to Waterloo and then KX to Ely. Expect 3 1/2 hours each way; but so what? Sometimes you have to spend travelling time. When I lived in Doncaster I would go to Taunton 3.4 times a year took around 4 hours each way. Now I live in Bournemouth it takes 5 hours. That's progress thanks to Dr. Beeching and the move out of Taunton by the archives.
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I am fortunate enough to be able to fall out of bed into the Cambridge Archive so any move from the current location will be an inconvenience but nothing compared to others less fortunately placed I know. My only hope is that they retain the present staff – a more knowledgeable & helpful team will be difficult to match in my experience.
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I thoroughly agree about the staff - excellent.
Not only does the Cambridge archive hold Cambridgeshire records, but some from North East Herts, which aren't in Royston library, which I have found particularly useful, as do many who live near me. Cambridge is a reasonable journey using the P & R and not too expensive - even though they now charge both for the car Park and the bus.
Getting to Ely would treble the journey time and more than quadruple the cost for me.
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Swings and roundabouts. Now it's the turn of those living in and around Ely to have easy access to the Archives.
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I am fortunate enough to be able to fall out of bed into the Cambridge Archive so any move from the current location will be an inconvenience but nothing compared to others less fortunately placed I know. My only hope is that they retain the present staff – a more knowledgeable & helpful team will be difficult to match in my experience.
I believe they are obliged to under TUPE (transfer of undertakings, protection of employees) regulations, with the exception of any made redundant and wishing to retire, so I think little to worry about on that score.