Brass Bands England has announced that the Brass Bands Archive will open in March at its new home at the University of Huddersfield.

It will be hosted at Heritage Quay, the university's archive service, opening with a special celebratory exhibition: 'Brass Bands: History and Culture'.

Free event

The free event will take place on Saturday 4th & Sunday 5th March and will run until 23rd April. It will feature archive material, memorabilia, trophies, scores and photographs, many of which are to be displayed for the first time.

The weekend will also offer an opportunity to present questions about the archive and its contents to Brass Bands England's knowledgeable volunteers.

Public viewing

Speaking about the opening, David Smith, Heritage Quay Public Engagement Officer, said: "It has been a fascinating journey assembling this exhibition of memorabilia and historic items, and we are thrilled that highlights of the collection will now be available for public viewing.

It's a great opportunity to showcase everything that brass bands have achieved, as well as a chance to learn something new about their history."

The exhibition opening coincides with the Yorkshire Regional Championships, also taking place in Huddersfield on March 4th & 5th at the nearby Town Hall, a short walk from the Heritage Quay site.

Anyone attending the Championships is welcome to visit the archive.

The exhibition opening coincides with the Yorkshire Regional Championships, also taking place in Huddersfield on March 4th & 5th at the nearby Town Hall, a short walk from the Heritage Quay site4BR

Heritage

BBE revealed that over 75% of the archive's contents has now been catalogued with a recent grant from TownsWeb Archiving allowing the process of digitising to begin.

The records, including items from an extensive sheet music collection, will be available to access online from 4th March. In addition, further exhibitions and events will allow people to connect further with brass band heritage.

The physical archive at Heritage Quay will be available by appointment from 6th March during research room opening hours of Monday, Tuesday and Friday (9.00am -4.30pm).

More information

For information on visiting Heritage Quay please visit their directions page. To find out more about the Brass Bands Archive please visit www.brassbandsarchive.com