Couldn’t believe how busy the place was today! I arrived just before opening time of 10am and the queue of ticket holders outside seem to go on forever. It was at this point I was very glad I had splashed out and got a fast track platinum ticket, which enabled me to bypass the queues and go straight inside.
I managed to grab some extra workshop tickets upstairs,and then I headed straight for the photo-dating area, where my luck was in! Maureen Taylor dated four photos of mine before there was anyone else waiting in line (top tip: head for the photo dating area first).
The first talk I went to was Larry Lamb sharing his experiences of WDYTYA. His episode was voted as the most moving of the last series, and it was lovely to get his feedback on the whole process.
After that session, I grabbed something to eat and prepared my information for the Ask the Expert session I had coming up next. I spoke to a very helpful man about my military ancestors and found out where to look for further information. A visit to TNA at Kew seems to be in order!
I then had four talks/workshops in a row – all of them illuminating. Nick Barratt (along with Colin McFarlane) spoke about an amazing project they’re working on with school children, integrating family history with the national curriculum. (Can’t check website address right now, but will add as soon as I can!) Jayne Shrimpton showed us family snapshots from the 1880s to the 1940s, giving us ideas on how how to date them and also proving what value they have to our research.
Then it was palaeography with Dominic Johnson – I found this a brilliant presentation, despite numerous technical glitches. She has a real passion for her subject, and I can’t wait to get stuck into this topic for my IHGS assignments. (Famous last words..?)
Last session of the day for me was Discover Scottish Church Records with Chris Paton. Essentially a Quick History of the (surprisingly many) churches in Scotland, with helpful hints on where to research, all delivered with great humour. Lovely way to end the day!
(WordPress on iPhone won’t let me upload photos at the mo, so they’ll have to keep for another day.)