Ebbsfleet Citizen Archive has launched – a new community-led project capturing and preserving the varied stories and histories of the people and places of Ebbsfleet, Greenhithe, Swanscombe, and Northfleet.
Ebbsfleet Citizens Archive is a community-led project capturing and preserving the varied stories and histories of the people and places of Ebbsfleet, Greenhithe, Swanscombe, and Northfleet, as the area goes through a significant moment of change.
Co-created by artists, historians and residents, the dual digital and physical archive will bring local people together to explore Ebbsfleet’s unique historic and contemporary identity through objects, sounds, videos and photographs, collected by and from residents past, present and future.
At the core of the project, a team of volunteer Citizen Archivists will work closely with artists, historians, and archivists to explore the people, stories and histories of the area and learn the practical and creative skills needed to create an archive for the whole community.
A series of artist-led workshops, walks and events will also explore different creative approaches to archiving, enabling everybody to get involved and add their voice to the archive; artist Lu Williams will work with local people to create an Ebbsfleet Citizen Handbook; artist Dan Tollady will share free collection boxes to gather the personal stories, objects and artefacts people would like to add to the archive; and local historian Christoph Bull will lead a series of walks exploring the history of different landscape and communities in the area.
All the materials collated throughout the project will be brought together to form a living Citizen Archive. Accessible to all, the archive will hold a wide range of stories and histories from the people and places that make Ebbsfleet, Greenhithe, Swanscombe, and Northfleet.
Ebbsfleet Citizen Archive is funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Arts Council England, and supported by Gravesham Libraries, Dartford Museum and Libraries, and Kent Archives.