The stories of people who have had a connection to the New Room.
Since September 2018 we have been collecting interviews from people who have enabled the New Room to be a place of hospitality, worship and welcome for all. This collection of oral histories includes accounts from people who have been involved in a variety of ways in the life of the New Room, going back to the 1950s. There are stories from volunteers, staff members, trustees, those who lived in the small flat above the chapel and those who got married or had special services at the New Room.
Do you have a story to share?
We are keen to interview anyone who...
- Got married at the New Room
- Had their children baptised here
- Worshipped in the chapel
- Lived in the flat above the chapel
We would also like to hear from anyone who lived or worked in the Broadmead area or had involvement in its development. The interviews provide us with captivating information, which has helped us to tell the New Room story in our exhibitions and to the wider world. We would be delighted to hear from anyone who would like to be interviewed. Interviewees can be recorded in the comfort of their own home. For more information contact Kate Rogers Collections Manager collections@newroombristol.org.uk or call 01179264740.
'One Chapel, Many Voices' 2019 Exhibition
Between May - September 2019 the New Room displayed an exhibition of oral histories in the chapel. The exhibition was curated by University student Annie who spent her internship year at the New Room. The stories shared in the exhibition range from early childhood memories, family stories of living in the flat, memories of special events and services held at the New Room and various developments of the building including greening the Broadmead courtyard and the recent Horsefair Project that concluded in 2017.
All of the material is stored in the archive at the New Room, including the full-length interviews with each person as well as all of the transcripts of the audio recordings. If you would like to listen to any of the interviews in full or find out more about the oral history project, please make an appointment with Kate Rogers, Collections Manager, collections@newroombristol.org.uk or call 0117 9264740.
