Steven digs deep to help preserve county’s heritage
A Warwick man, with a lifelong passion for the area, has pledged £200 to help keep a collection of valuable documents in the county.
Steven Wallsgrove, a senior planning officer at Warwick District Council, is so passionate about preserving Warwickshire’s heritage, he is making the donation to kickstart an appeal to raise money for the Waller collection.
Steven ranks the Waller archive among the three most important collections for Warwick along with the Warwick Castle archive, purchased through public donations by the County Record Office and the Warwick Borough archive, also on deposit which contains a wide range of deeds and other documents relating to the management of the borough.
The Waller collection, which dates back to the 12th century, includes medieval deeds for the town of Warwick and Woodloes.
Steven’s interest in local history dates back to his finding a book on the history of the county in his grandmother’s cellar when he had to do a history project for school.
He has gone on to write books and articles on the area including articles on the history of St John’s House, from its origin as a medieval hospital up to 1700 and the creation of the square outside St Mary’s Church after the Great Fire of 1694.
Steven said: “I believe that this is a very important archive for the town and has been essential for my local history researches. It is also essential that the Record Office is supported for the important work they do in preserving our heritage for the future.”
County archivist, Caroline Sampson, said: “We are extremely grateful to Steven for his generous contribution. He is a regular and extremely knowledgeable user of the County Record Office and an enthusiastic supporter of our work. Staff here are always pleased to help him in his research in any way that we can.”
The Friends of the County Record Office are co-ordinating the county’s efforts to raise the funds to purchase the Waller collection. If you would like to know more about joining and playing a part in securing key parts of Warwickshire’s history, call the CRO on 01926 738959.