Exhibition plugs valley's 70-year archive gap

The exhibition celebrates local stories and personal connections to the Skell Valley, which includes Fountains Abbey

An exhibition aiming to plug a 70-year gap in the archival history of a World Heritage Site has opened.

The Skell Valley Voices exhibition celebrates local stories and personal connections to the area, which includes Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal in Ripon.

New recordings tell the stories of ordinary people who have lived and worked in the valley over the last seven decades - completing archive records currently dating from the 12th Century up until the 1950s.

Vicky Grindrod, exhibition curator, said the varied topics of recorded conversation encapsulate "how life has changed over time".

The exhibition combines the new archive of oral histories with historical documents to tell the stories of people who lived in the area.

The oldest surviving document related to Fountains Abbey is a deed dating back to 1138, curators said.

The exhibition captures local voices and includes interactive displays

Josie Campbell, National Trust heritage officer, said the project celebrated the landscape around the River Skell and would "empower people to look after it".

“We’ve got some fantastic memories of people playing by the river as children, catching tiddlers in the river and also some brilliant memories of people farming,” she said.

The exhibition is part of the wider £2.5m Skell Valley Project, which is supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

It runs until 3 November at Fountains Mill in Fountains Abbey.

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