Browse Collections (25 total)

Murder, Myth and Mayhem

The Rookwoods Legend

From local Myths to Robbery, Murder and Civil Strife, Oakridge has a very human side.

View the items in Murder, Myth and Mayhem

Maps

http://oakridgecommunityarchives.org/files/original/f910af47c8774fae2ec2706ddf722be8.pdf

Maps form an invaluable record and aid to understanding. A rich past is reflected in the changes seen over time, in patterns of land ownership and in…

View the items in Maps

Interesting Local Individuals

Mabel Dearmer, aged sixteen in 1888

In the history of any community, certain characters come to stand out and Oakridge is no exception. Some of the people who have been influential in…

View the items in Interesting Local Individuals

Industry & Commerce

The Silk Mill, c. 1880. The women employees stand outside and on the left, one or two young girls can be seen. On the top of the roof is a bell, used to summon the women to work and beneath it a clock, which must have been useful to the villagers. The Mill was built c.1845 to provide local employment. Coal for the steam engine had to be bought all of the way from Bakers Mill Lock by pack donkeys so it is not surprising that the mill closed in 1890 and was demolished c.1897.

Mills (Flour, Silk, Wool, Timber), Builders, Forges and more ...

View the items in Industry & Commerce

Homes and Farms

Lyday Cottage

The history of the homes and farms that make up Oakridge, Bournes Green, Waterlane and more ...

View the items in Homes and Farms

Farming and Country Life

A small herd of dairy cows at Bournes Green. Five or six cows provided a living for the hardworking smallholder or the eighteenth century farmer.

In both economic and social terms Oakridge's history has been dominated by two major influences, farming and clothmaking. Farming came first and last…

View the items in Farming and Country Life