The North West Sound Archive was founded in 1979. Its purpose is
to record, collect and preserve sound recordings relevant to life in the North
West of England. After several homes in Manchester, the archive moved to
Clitheroe in 1982.
While the tape recording of oral history is still an objective there are many
other recordings worthy of preservation including local radio programmes and
folk music. During the early years of BBC Radio Manchester many pioneering
programmes were tried. While some were not successful, there was one series
called Voice in the Crowd which have left a classic series of interviews. These
recordings form part of the North West Sound Archive and are available for
listening at the Greater Manchester County Record Office. Subjects include an
interview with a Hells Angel, an American who lived in Manchester after the turn
of the 20th century before returning home and a female soccer fan reminiscing
about Manchester United and her feelings about the players who died in the
Munich in 1958.
The North West Sound Archive has around 50,000 such recordings of BBC Radio
Manchester as well as over 110,000 sound recorded items and 2.5 tonnes of 78-rpm
gramophone records ranging from George Formby to the Halle Orchestra. There are
internationally important collections including the survey of English dialect
and solidarity speeches from the Dockyards of Poland. It is the largest
collection of sound recordings outside London.
The North West Sound Archive provides source material and information for
reminiscence therapy, local history, actors, the education sector (special packs
are available for schools), journalists and researchers
You can contact the North West Sound Archive by e-mail at nwsa@ed.lancscc.gov.uk.
For information about their opening hours please refer to the Guide
to Repositories on this server.
