The Martin Village Archive was born out of a conversation in 2012 between Angela Farmer and Gary Blandford-Hull who both had a fascination with the history of the ancient settlement that had become their home.

Together, they decided to test the interest of the village and organised a day in the Blandford Hall with a laptop and scanner, offering to copy old photos or documents to share. The response was enthusiastic and it was immediately evident there was a great appetite for sharing and learning more.

Since that time, a large amount of material has been gathered, with contributions from many people in the village, as well as family researchers and past inhabitants as far away as Australia and New Zealand. Most precious of all are the memoirs and family photo albums.

In order to share the growing collection several exhibitions were held in the village, also a book of photos and DVD were produced,  both of which quickly sold out. Meanwhile, Gillian Bailey joined the project and after a couple of years Gary moved away.

Now, at last, thanks to the generous sponsorship of the AONB and the Chalke Valley History Festival Trust, and the technical work of Chris Dennis in designing this website, the Martin Village Archive can be enjoyed online.

Note: We have tried to acknowledge contributors where possible and care has been taken over copyright but if there are any omissions, corrections or issues of inclusion on this site please contact us via enquiries@martinvillagearchive.org.uk.

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