Community History oral history collection, 1970-2000

The Community History oral history collection comprises 215 interviews with residents of Leicester and Leicestershire, which were recorded by the former Living History Unit from 1993 to 2000. Most of the material was collected for specific projects such as exhibitions and publications. The main focus of the interviews is on the more recent social history of Leicester, in particular the lives and experiences of the people in the city from different communities. The collection contains a wide range of subjects and themes including the experience of women in the Second World War, life in the Wharf Street area of Leicester in the first half of the 20th century, as well as general topics such as health, work, shopping, leisure and entertainment. Interviews with members of Leicester's immigrant communities were also recorded, including Irish, Polish, Jewish, Asian and African Caribbean people, to document their experiences and their contributions to the life of the city. These interviews generally cover subjects such as traditional festivals and cultural life.

The Living History Unit was established by Leicester City Council in 1993 and ran into the 2000s, by which time it had been renamed the Community History Unit. The collection was deposited with EMOHA in 2003.

Some material may be unavailable for general access

Full catalogue available via: https://archives.le.ac.uk//calmview/TreeBrowse.aspx?src=CalmView.Catalog&field=RefNo&key=EMOHA%2f38

Cassette

Many of these recordings include the interviewee's addresses which would need to be redacted from public access copies. For full access conditions please see individual interviews.

Copyright: Various - see individual records for details

See individual items for related material. There is also a file of associated ephermera for this collection available through EMOHA, emoha@leicester.ac.uk.