Patricia Wenz: A volunteer’s tale

Patricia reviewing Islington’s rare, original ‘Rate Books’ during training at the Local History Archives

What drew me to volunteer for the 'Tales from the Crypt' project was that it offered the combination of working with records and archives (a great way of honing skills for my own family history research) with the practical opportunity to explore a small corner of London's history in-depth, by walking the streets and studying the buildings.

Choosing a family who had buried four young sons in the crypt (none of them reached the age of five) and who had lived in a street that didn't seem to exist any more, was a challenge.

The process of discovering their family story lead to examining plans of Newgate Market at the London Metropolitan Archives and rate books at the Islington Archive, and just walking up and down Liverpool Road in the drizzle trying to discover a house in Cloudesley Terrace that had long ago been renumbered (then going home, checking my notes and going back again the next week as I couldn't make sense of what I'd written).

I don't live in Islington, so it was a big bonus to be working with fellow volunteers who had personal experience of Holy Trinity, Cloudesley Square and the surrounding streets. Their knowledge, and the stories told by local people who came to visit the exhibition, added immeasurably to the sense of achievement.

I look forward to revisiting these streets with a story sometime soon (Covid permitting) and observing as the next pages of their history are written.