This April a very special Roadshow was held at Banbury Museum & Gallery.
An invitation was issued to all those in our community who worked at the Alcan site, both factory and laboratories to visit the museum and share artefacts and memories with us from their time working there. We set out to uncover objects and stories that would help us tell the story of Alcan in Banbury, a crucial part of the heritage of our town. We were especially pleased by the historical significance of some of the artefacts and stories unearthed and we hope that these can now feature in a new exhibition being planned. We also expect that they will greatly enrich an archive of the Alcan story as a legacy to our community.
Opening in 1931, the aluminium factory run initially by the Northern Aluminium Company played a crucial role in developing and manufacturing parts for the spitfires and hurricanes that defended Britain from invasion, and the materials to conquer Everest and create Concorde. It was a hugely important employer in the town and our future exhibition, ‘Voices of the Ally’ will tell the story of Banbury’s eight-decade contribution to the global aluminium industry, through the voices of some of those who worked there.
On the day of the roadshow, we had over 60 people visit, bringing a diverse range of objects from commemorative clocks to the products of explosive research’.
Plan of the works with details of all the machinery, probably from during the Second World War.
Photo of the home guard at the factory, which they protected during the Second World War. Home Guard Certificate of Proficiency, 1944.
Fork lift truck driving permit from 1978
Old friends met and even a few tears shed! It was clear how much working at Alcan meant to many in our community and how important the relationships formed there were to those that worked for the company.
The opportunity to speak to people and record their memories will form a key part of our exhibition plans. These memories and stories are not always the details that are captured in plans, photos and paper records. But are often the stories that bring the history of this site to life.
The day was a massive success and a huge thanks to everyone who turned up, brought us objects and shared their own archives to be used for research. We captured hundreds of hours of film footage from our volunteer contributors, and we hope to bring more snippets of some of these interviews in the run up to the exhibition.
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This project was made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund.