Unearthing History: The Story of Trafford Council’s Glass Plate Negatives

Case Study

For Trafford Council, their digitisation project with TownsWeb Archiving has been all about discovery.

From discovering the contents within thousands of decades-old glass plate negatives, to aiding the discovery for those enquiring about the history of the area - to discovering just how easy it is to leave the leg work to the professionals and watch history come to life. 

We sat down with Matthew Wilkinson, Local Studies & Archive Manager at Trafford Council, to delve into the nitty-gritty of the project, and learn how digitisation has enriched the archives, both internally and externally.

As with many projects, funding played a crucial role in getting things started. For Trafford Council, this came from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, a government-allocated fund aiming to improve pride and place, and help reduce inequalities between communities across the UK.

“It was given to us, essentially, as levelling-up money.” Matthew explained. “The funding could be used on internships, engagement, or collections work, and it made our project possible, truth be told.”

As for where the money would be spent? Well, it was a no brainer. For years now, Trafford Council have had a number of uncatalogued and non-digitised items, primarily consisting of glass plates negatives and 35mm slides, sat around, waiting to be unearthed.

Whilst there was an air of mystery surrounding the items, one thing was known - many of these items had been passed down from Harry Wilkinson, a local Altrincham photographer known for capturing changing local scenes and collecting historic photos on lantern slides.

Matthew said about Harry, "He did a lot of work in and around Cheshire, as well as other parts of the UK and internationally. He was also a collector himself." 

"When he passed away, he donated his collection and a lot of his work to Altrincham library, which eventually became part of our archives here at Trafford Council. We've been eagerly waiting for the day when we could fully explore what we had, and digitising these glass plates and slides will make them infinitely more accessible to a wider audience. Hopefully more people will learn about Harry Wilkinson and appreciate the quality of his work."

Whilst the Harry Wilkinson collection is a highlight for Trafford Council, they also discovered other intriguing content while sorting through the glass plates and slides. They found old advertisements and images of children's books, and they're excited to see what else they'll uncover. "I think there’s even a picture of Gandhi in Blackburn in there!".

However, despite knowing these items held exciting stories and windows into the past, as a team of just four staff and a few volunteers, they remained untouched and gathering dust.

Matthew said,

“There’s no way we could’ve done it justice, we simply didn’t have the resources or time to do the project ourselves"

"So if there’s one piece of advice I have for anyone embarking on a digitisation project, it’s this: get the professionals in. You won’t regret it”.

And that’s what they did. After a meeting to discuss their needs, identify priorities, and, safely, hand over the items, the team here at TownsWeb Archiving got to work, embarking on roughly six weeks of meticulous scanning, cataloguing and repackaging of around 8,000 plates and slides.

Trafford Council had provided box references and catalogue numbers for each plate as a guide, ensuring a smooth process. “I'm a strong believer that your archives are only as good as your catalogue.” Matthew told, proudly.

Over the six week period, our digitisation specialists carefully scanned each plate and slide using our high-resolution equipment at our HQ in Kettering, capturing the intricate details and preserving the original image quality. From there, these digitised images were meticulously catalogued and transcribed using the guide provided from Trafford Council, thus allowing easy access and exploration of the glass plate negatives.

Now that the digitisation is complete, what's next for Trafford Council?

Matthew advised, "The glass plate negatives and their transcriptions will be proudly hosted on our dedicated website for exploring Trafford's heritage. We also have a small display on-site that will benefit from the freshened up slides. Of course, people can still view the original slides upon request, but digitisation allows us to protect the fragile slides while still providing access to our visitors."

The archive is a hub for a wide variety of enquiries. Those who utilise the services provided at Trafford Council include the likes of students, researchers, bloggers and family-history enthusiasts. “We even have a section for children, so we can inspire future generations with genealogy and history books,” and Matthew is keen to emphasise how far-reaching the project will be. “It brings the collections to life, and makes the works more accessible, both in person and online.”

In addition to their archival work, Trafford Council runs a monthly quiz on Instagram, where they share historical photos and challenge their followers to guess the location. "The new content will definitely be a hit," Matthew muses.

If you fancy taking part in their quiz or want to explore the unearthed treasures from this project, you can follow them on Instagram or visit their website.

As the project wrapped up, and the precious items return safely to their home, Trafford Council’s journey of discovery continues long beyond the involvement with TownsWeb Archiving. One glass plate at a time.