1960s Matlock Raft Race Footage Features in Derby Telegraph’s Bygones

Magnificent MACE at the University of Lincoln……should have been housed in the new Library of Birmingham,which I tried to make happen when I worked at Locate in Birmingham, the city’s former inward investment and international investment promotion agency at Birmingham City Council

Welcome to the Blog of the Media Archive for Central England

In this month’s Bygones article, MACE focuses on Matlock’s annual Boxing Day Charity Raft Race, which celebrated its 50th race last December.

The Raft Race was started in 1963 by the Derbyshire Association of Sub-Aqua Clubs to raise funds for the RNLI. The four mile race on the River Derwent begins at Cawdor Quarry in Matlock and finishes at Cromford Meadows.

On the 27th December 1968 ITV’s regional news bulletin, Midlands News, broadcast pictures of the sixth raft race which had taken place the day before.

The Midlands News feature entitled [Midlands News: 27.12.1968: Annual raft race on River Derwent, Matlock] can be viewed below and is also available on the Derby Telegraph Website.

In the film we see around fifty people scrambling down the side of an embankment (which we believe to Cawdor Quarry in Matlock) with many different rafts of all shapes and sizes. Some of the rafters…

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Sir Michael Balcon, a Birmingham Grammar Schoolboy needs celebrating more in his home City of Birmingham

The Iron Room

It’s been a long time coming but after packing up and moving 1.5 million books, 24 kilometres of archival collections and 2 million photographs we’ve finally opened up our doors!

We’ve been closed for 9 months but hopefully the wait will have been worth it – from today you can come in and use the Archive, Heritage and Photography Collections, stroll out on the terrace, visit the gallery space to see our major new exhibition Reference Works and relax in the Heritage Lounge.

For you eager archives researchers I’m afraid it’s another week before the Wolfson Centre opens for business on Monday 9th September – we anticipate being very busy in the first few weeks so please bear with us at this time.  If you are planning to access our archive collections don’t forget you’ll need to make an appointment first (email archives.appointments@birmingham.gov.uk).  Don’t forget that the library opening hours…

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