Thousands of historical documents in Bewdley have been moved to a permanent new home. 

Documents dating back centuries have been transferred from Bewdley Museum to The Hive Library in Worcester. 

The transfer followed a huge task by a small but dedicated team over seven months to organise, catalogue and scan the entire archive. 

More than 10,000 documents in 40 large boxes and crates were transported to The Hive where they will be professionally catalogued and conserved in a climate-controlled environment to ensure preservation for generations to come. 

Bewdley Museum came to the rescue after Charles Purcell, a member of Bewdley Historical Research Group, died in 2020 and his house, where the collection was originally stored, was sold. 

The museum, which is run by Wyre Forest District Council, provided a store room alongside the History Room and a workspace for BHRG members to carry on documenting the town's fascinating history. 

BHRG chairman Francis Mohan said: "Charles and his wife Angela were passionate about Bewdley's history and guided the BHRG to become on of Worcestershire's most respected local history groups. 

"A distinctive feature was the publication of more than 30 local history titles.

"Over the years, they inspired a succession of volunteers who devoted countless hours to organising a vast range of material." 

In the Spring of 2024, negotiations began with the Worcestershire Archive and Archaeology Service to transfer the entire collection into their care.

A cornerstone of the archive was a precious collection of Bewdley house deeds dating from the 17th to the 20th centuries.

The group obtained them thanks to legendary history enthusiast Kenneth Hobson who worked for Bewdley solicitors Marcy Hemingway in Load Street.

A hired van and a fleet of cars gathered in Redthorne car park to transport 120 archive parcels to The Hive.

Francis said: "It was a momentous day in the history of our group. The archive will not be lost to BHRG which has taken digital images of almost every document.

"We will now move on to the next stage, the creation of an accessible digital catalogue.

"The group owes a debt of gratitude to Liz Cowley and her team of museum staff for their patient support in our time of need. The efforts of current members has been outstanding, but the volunteers are well aware of the many that went before them to build up and preserve this treasure-trove of Bewdley’s history."