Landscapes Unlocked - historic image archive offers tantalising glimpse into the Peak District's past

Children enjoying a field trip; walkers admiring Peak District landscapes; a warden proudly carrying out her National Park duties.

These are among thousands of images from the Peak District National Park's archives, revealing a fascinating history throughout the 20th century to the present day.

Now, thanks to funding of £45,000 achieved through an Archives Revealed grant, the collection - made up of over 40,000 images - is to be catalogued, along with the creation of an online resource.

Landscapes Unlocked will be the first publicly accessible collection from a UK national park and is believed to be the largest collection for the area, unique in being compiled by a single organisation.

A partnership between the Peak District National Park Foundation, the Peak District National Park Authority and the Derbyshire County Council Record Office, the archive offers a visual record of the National Park’s development and the people who have lived, worked and visited over the decades.

It is particularly timely as next year [2026] marks the 75th anniversary of the Peak District's designation as the UK's first national park.

The majority of images are 35mm slides but there are also black and white negatives, contact prints, photographic prints and medium/large format transparencies.

The cataloguing project is funded by Archives Revealed, a funding partnership of The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Pilgrim trust, the Wolfson Foundation and The National Archives.

The goal of Archives Revealed is to ensure that significant archive collections, representing the lives and perspective of all people across the UK, are made accessible to the public for research and enjoyment.

When the image archive has been catalogued, a curated online collection of around 3000 images will be available to the public on Derbyshire County Council Record Office’s online image library, Picture the Past. Stories developed around the collection will also be shared on Google Arts & Culture. The remainder of the collection will be secured in archival conditions at the Derbyshire Record Office for long-term curation and protection.

Peak District Foundation director Roisin Joyce says: "We are delighted that the story of the National Park will be opened up to the public thanks to this grant from Archives Revealed.

"The collection tells us about the changes to people and nature in our national park, giving us an insight into wide-ranging themes including rural customs, farming practices, industry, archaeology and tourism. Importantly, this image collection also has huge potential to help us better understand landscape change, a vital research area in the face of climate change.

"We look forward to opening up the collection and drawing out stories to share with communities inside and beyond the boundaries of the national park."

Foundation, Record Office and National Park Authority teams will work closely with archivists, historians and local communities to ensure the images are not only preserved but made accessible for research, education and public engagement. Landscapes Unlocked will support learning about environmental and social change, providing invaluable resources for future generations.

Peak District National Park cultural heritage team manager Anna Badcock adds: "This is an incredibly rich and varied collection, which speaks to the interplay between people and nature over time.

"Photographs have a universal appeal and enable us to tell our story in an accessible way but, in order to utilise them, the collection needs to be catalogued, stored and digitised.

"It has long been recognised that the collection is precious and discussions between the National Park Authority and the Derbyshire Record Office have been ongoing for many years, with the Covid pandemic interrupting the last effort to secure the collection’s future.

"As the Peak District prepares to celebrate its 75th anniversary next year, this is a great opportunity to reflect on the National Park’s history, landscapes, cultures and heritage."

Robert Clayton, Interim Head of Libraries & Heritage at Derbyshire County Council, said: "This huge archive will provide an invaluable resource at Derbyshire Record Office for members of the public and researchers alike.

"It’s very exciting to offer such a wealth of material that will shine a light on the people, history, heritage and culture of the Peak District. And we are delighted that a curated selection of 3000 images will be available online through our Derbyshire Record Office database, Picture the Past.

"Photographs really bring the past to life - allowing us to meet the people who came before us in this beautiful area."

The collection will allow the Foundation, Record Office and National Park Authority to engage with residents, visitors, volunteers, academics, children and young people in new ways. These include creating research volunteer opportunities, developing a learning resource for schools and a touring display for National Park visitor hubs and other local venues.