Catch up on news from decades ago as A&T archive relocates to St Barbe Museum

READERS can catch up on local news from 90 years ago at the St Barbe Museum in Lymington which has become the new home for an A&T archive.

The town library’s back catalogue of the newspapers, which dates back to 1928, has been relocated to the King Research Room at the newly refurbished museum in New Street.

Visitors can now access the Lymington Times and New Milton Advertiser in microfilm and bound volume formats. The Lymington and South Hants Chronicle is also available on microfilm from 1857-1932.

A museum spokesperson said: “The research facility offers an opportunity to come and explore the collection, allowing visitors to discover their local family history, where they live or the development of Lymington.

“The King Research Room houses the museum’s collection of paper-based local social history.

“It is named in memory of six generations of the local King family in Lymington, a family of prominent booksellers, printers and local historians.”

Among the other documents now available are local parish registers for marriages, burials and baptisms for Lymington and the surrounding area.

There is a collection of 1,300 books on local New Forest and selected Hampshire history, past exhibition catalogues and history of art, as well as a range of locally published material.

More than 4,700 photographs document the history of the area, from floods to family weddings, and villages to local events. There is also the chance to explore 1,600 postcards, 600 maps and more.

The collection covers the history of the New Forest coast across Lymington, Boldre, Milford, Sway, Hordle and New Milton.

The King Research Room is open to the public from Monday-Thursday between 10am and midday. Access outside these hours is by appointment only.

To find out more contact St Barbe on 01590 676969 or enquiries@stbarbe-museum.org.uk