Keynsham & Saltford
Local History Society
K&S LHS Archives & Projects
Since our formation in 1965 we have amassed a great deal of material and resources. A project was started where we recorded and catalogued all of these items which we are pleased, are now listed in this website. Any item of interest can be viewed at the Bath Record Office. On this page, we have also listed some of the other projects we have been involved with, over the years.
In July 2025 the Bath Records Office started to catalogue the K&S LHS Archives. These are now available for searching on-line and we recommend users access their Archives via the button below, if unable to find an item with our our Archives.
Our Archive List
We aim to update our records periodically and the below search and drop down menu provides access to the K&S LHS archives that were last updated in July 2025. These have all been painstakingly catalogued by our Archivist. Once you have identified an item of interest from either the K&S LHS Archive records (or the Bath Records Office), it can only be accessed or viewed by contacting the Bath Records Office - via the Archives and Local Studies Section (use button below).
If you search using our Archive List, please select the "Category" from the drop down menu. This will then provide you with a list of sub-categories. Please identify the item you are interested in by noting down the "sub-category number". You will need this when contacting the Bath Records Office.
If you are unable to find the item you are searching for in the drop down categories, please use the "Text Search" field and enter the text of the item you are looking for.
Remember, to actually view an item of interest, you can only do this via Bath Records Office and will need to provide them with the "sub-category number".
Archive Search
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Archive Queries
If you have any questions about our Archives, we recommend you first try to search via the Bath Records Office (K&S LHS Archives). If however, you do have any questions for our Archivist, please complete the below form and someone will be in touch..
Some of our Projects
The Archive Project
In order to preserve our local history, various research groups were set up (e.g., The Industries Group and The Inns & Alehouses Group). The diligence of the people in these groups provided the basis of our archives. Over the years the amount of information collected has grown. Until recently all our archives lived in the spare rooms of the various archivists of the time, but were therefore not easily accessible to anyone wanting to do their own research. Some of the primary documents Wills, Leases, etc. were sent to The Somerset Archives (now called South West Heritage Trust), Bristol Archives or Bath Archives and are listed on their online catalogues. About 2016 it was decided that our archives should be moved to Bath Record Office so that they could be readily accessed by anyone, and to be kept under proper conditions. The contents of 2 large filing cabinets and various files and large portfolios and maps were slowly transferred to Bath Record Office. Once there, everything had to be sorted, duplicates removed, and then catalogued, which involved numbering everything with their catalogue number, and then listing everything. By the end of 2024 this was completed. Now, if anyone wants to access our archives the files can be viewed more easily.
To access these records via the Bath Records Office, please click on the button below.
Pop-Up Museum 2023
In 2023 and in partnership with the Saltford Brass Mill Project, Keynsham Abbey Working Group, Keynsham Town Council and the BANES Archive Team, a Pop-Up Museum was created at the Make Space unit in Keynsham. Items from the Keynsham Abbey archaeology and Brass Mill were displayed during September and October. The event was staffed by volunteers and a total of 789 visitors attended. The event received very positive feedback from all who attended.
Brass Tracks Project
When the Society was left a legacy by the late Joan Day, we felt it would be appropriate to use this to promote interest in the remains of the local brass industry, which she did so much to preserve. A working group was set up in 2022, including a representative of the Saltford Brass Mill Project, and this led to the production of the book “Brass Tracks”, which combines trail guides with a history of the industry. It includes all the information we had on the workers in the industry, some of whom originally came from the Low Countries and whose descendant still live locally.
Flood Memorial Project
The Great Flood of July 1968 had a huge impact on Keynsham, but the town had no memorial to the victims. In 2014 the Society decided to rectify this, using the old County Bridge Stone, or “abbot’s chair” as the centre piece. With the support of Keynsham Town Council and the co-operation of B&NES Council staff in several departments the memorial was designed and a fundraising campaign to raise the £10,000 necessary was launched. Construction was completed just in time for the commemorative plaque to be unveiled by the Chair of the local authority on the 50th anniversary of the flood, 10th July 2018.
Keynsham War Memorial Research
Brian Vowles, one of our members, and Pete Buck, of the Royal British Legion branch in Keynsham, conducted research on all of the names that are listed on the Keynsham War Memorial. The result of Brian and Pete's research can be found on the Keynsham Town Website. It is a wonderful resource that in the fullness of time, we will endeavour to include on this website. To access the results of this research, please click here.