Local history, family history and the Victoria County History: new directions for the twenty-first century

Abstract

The study of local history has a long and varied past, but its modern form can be dated to the post-Second World War era. The Victoria County History, although dating from 1899, has been transformed in the years since 1945, and is going through a further mini-revolution as a result of a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund to run a project entitled ‘England's Past for Everyone’ (E.P.E.). This article provides the background to these developments, including the various changes of focus of the V.C.H., and then argues that the impact of E.P.E. is to offer the V.C.H. the opportunity to transform itself into the recognised quality standard for local history.