Exploring Living Memory Steering Group

Exploring Living Memory was a project of the London History Workshop Centre which came together in 1981 to encourage the development of reminiscence work throughout London. Workshops and conferences were held in 1981 and 1982 at County Hall, and in 1983 the Greater London Council agreed to fund a much larger festival and exhibition and also to provide the Royal Festival Hall as the venue in 1984 and 1985. A dispute at The Roundhouse resulted in the exhibition being postponed in 1986 and in 1987 the exhibition was at County Hall. Special West London exhibitions were held in Hammersmith in 1987 and Gunnersbury in 1988. There were also numerous mini-exhibitions, conferences, open days and workshops.

The exhibition was overseen by the Exploring Living Memory Steering Group who outlined the following objectives in their constitution:

• encourage, support and advise people of all ages and backgrounds in the establishment, running and development of life history projects in London
• help organise any event(s) which will promote and further the work of life history projects in London
• further seek practical help and funding from relevant bodies for the benefit of promoting life history projects in London

• support and advise any staff employed by the London History Centre (LHC) for the purpose of fulfilling the above aims.

  Displays were put together by various groups from schools and adult education colleges, pensioners' clubs and local history societies, patients in hospital, community groups and individuals. Some used photographs from their local public library, newspapers or their own personal collections, while others displayed children's toys and other artefacts to evoke the past.