BBG’s archives span almost 200 years and reveals stories of local, national and international significance. Botanical illustrations, correspondence, plant samples, maps and minutes bring to life stories about our plant collection, the Botanists who cultivated it and how climate change can be tracked over time.  At a pivotal moment in the redevelopment of the Gardens, we will share this unique material to enrich visitor experience, provide vital material for researchers, and shape BBG organisationally.  As we build BBG for the next 200 years, content from the archive will inform capital development, public programmes and interpretation.

The project will:

• Employ a specialist Archivist
• Focus on the ‘BBG Collection’ (one of eight collections in the archive) relating to the history of – BBHS and BBG, 1832-c.2016. It will be catalogued in its entirety, producing a detailed, comprehensive and accurate catalogue, cross-referenced with materials deposited externally.
• Engage Horticultural knowledge to explain and enrich the catalogue
• Add Herbarium material to BBG’s searchable online database, Garden Explorer
• Develop and implement a Volunteer Archivists programme
• Deliver a collaborative, creative public engagement project
• Share the archive through in-person programming and digital interpretation
• Facilitate future accessions, enabling the archive to capture and communicate BBG’s ongoing story

We’ll be collaborating with confirmed project partners, Stories of Hope and Home and Birmingham City University, to deliver innovative archive engagement projects designed to inspire our diverse audiences and communities to explore, connect and reframe the Gardens’ history.  Look out for events, activities and project updates over the next two years!   

At a pivotal moment in our history, and in the context of climate change and biodiversity loss, we will activate this unique archive to engage, inform, and inspire our diverse audiences and communities. 

You can delve into nearly 200 years of Garden’s history by clicking here. Look out for future archives updates as this exciting project develops!  

Archives Revealed is a partnership between The National Archives, the Pilgrim Trust, the Wolfson Foundation and The National Lottery Heritage Fund. It helps unlock collections across the UK and build the skills needed to care for them into the future.  A huge thank you all the funders for your support! 

About The National Archives
The National Archives are a non-ministerial department, and the official archive and publisher for the UK Government, and for England and Wales.

They are expert advisers in information and records management and are a cultural, academic and heritage institution. They fulfil a leadership role for the archive sector and work to secure the future of physical and digital records.

About The Wolfson Foundation
The Wolfson Foundation is an independent charity with a focus on research and education. Its aim is to support civil society by investing in excellent projects in science, health, heritage, humanities and the arts.

Since it was established in 1955, some £1 billion (£2 billion in real terms) has been awarded to more than 14,000 projects throughout the UK, all on the basis of expert review.

About The National Lottery Heritage Fund
The National Lottery Heritage Fund is the largest funder for the UK’s heritage. Using money raised by National Lottery players they support projects that connect people and communities to heritage. Their vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future. From historic buildings, our industrial legacy and the natural environment, to collections, traditions, stories and more. Heritage can be anything from the past that people value and want to pass on to future generations. They believe in the power of heritage to ignite the imagination, offer joy and inspiration, and to build pride in place and connection to the past.

About the Pilgrim Trust
The Pilgrim Trust is an independent charitable trust that was set up in 1930 to support the urgent and future needs of the UK. Over the decades, they’ve supported a wide range of causes, adapting to the changing circumstances and needs in the UK.

They give around £3 million in grants each year to charities and other public bodies that focus on preserving the UK’s heritage or bringing about social change.

They were founded in 1930 by an endowment of £2 million from American philanthropist, Edward Stephen Harkness.