Archive Articles
Press Release - Mar 2023
60 years of television history digitised and preserved for the public in libraries across the UK
The Box is delighted to be part of BFI Replay – a UK-wide initiative that is offering free access to 60 years of screen history in libraries across the country.
History - Mar 2023
Raising a glass to World Poetry Day 2023
Last year we received a typescript copy of an anonymous poem into our archives. It describes a pub crawl around Devonport and is believed to have been written in the 1930s.
Press Release - Mar 2023
The King of Football: Pelé’s shirt to go on display at The Box 50 years after he played in Plymouth
Pelé’s iconic number 10 football shirt, worn when he played at Home Park 50 years ago on 14 March 1973, is going on display at The Box from next Tuesday.
Press Release - Feb 2023
Portrait of ‘bloody finery’ and ‘plundered treasures’ to go on display at The Box
An iconic painting of a famous Tudor monarch is set to be unveiled at The Box this Saturday (11 February).
Press Release - Jan 2023
The Boer War
The second Boer War of 1899-1902 is a conflict probably few of us know much about. It lies just beyond living memory yet has left a permanent imprint on Plymouth in monuments of stone.
History - Dec 2022
John Foulston and the Plymouth Proprietary Library
The Plymouth Proprietary Library is an active subscription library founded in 1810. Known as the Plymouth Public Library until 1881, here we explore the history of its architecture and its connection with leading English architect John Foulston.
History - Nov 2022
To Australia via Plymouth: A Tale of Cornish Migration
Between 1840 and 1900, just over 430,000 British people passed through Plymouth, seeking a new life overseas. Some travelled with hope, some with trepidation. All had a long journey ahead of them. The majority were travelling to Australia and New Zealand. Canada, America and South Africa were also popular destinations. The Plymouth Government Emigration Depot which helped many of them is the subject of a display case in our Active Archives gallery this autumn.
News - Nov 2022
Archive insight: The digital preservation world moves on
Part of the Media Archive team’s responsibility at The Box is digital preservation. A large part of that is ensuring that digital file formats and storage mediums are 'current', so that precious archive files are safe and useable. Nothing sits still for long! A recent project has seen us embrace the 'Movage' as we ‘ingested’ (a delightful term) 35 terabytes of data, made up of nearly 3,000 digital video files to our digital archive store.
History - Oct 2022
Archive insight: Plymouth and the tale of a Brazilian pirate ship
The Box’s archives are home to many forgotten stories from Plymouth’s past. Here we explore the events surrounding Brazilian pirate slavers who were captured by the Royal Navy and transported to Plymouth for trial. This story is recorded in documents from our archives, some of which are on display in the Active Archives gallery.
News - Sep 2022
Behind The Scenes: Making a carbon neutral film
Over the last year and a half our ‘The Box on Screen’ series has been using our archive film collection to highlight a range of different themes. Our most recent episode explored the increasingly important issue of the climate emergency. Thanks to video production company, Soundview Media, who we work with on the series, and their Low Carbon Devon Intern, Kelsey Parsons, we were thrilled to learn that it's their first certified carbon neutral production!
History - Sep 2022
Happy 40th to Theatre Royal Plymouth
2022 marks the 40th anniversary of the Theatre Royal, Plymouth (TRP) which is enjoying a month of celebrations until mid-October - but did you know that today’s building is the fourth of that name in Plymouth?
News - Sep 2022
His Majesty King Charles III
King Charles III is the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022) and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (1921-2021). He was born at Buckingham Palace on 14 November 1948. He became King on 8 September 2022 upon the death of his mother, and was officially proclaimed monarch two days later on 10 September 2022.