From May 2010 until mid 2016, volunteers from Elstree Screen Heritage worked with staff and students from the University of Hertfordshire to create a remarkable archive of interviews with veterans of film and television at the studios of Elstree & Borehamwood. We call this “The Elstree Project”.
Over 65 people have been interviewed and those interviews have been shared through websites, screenings of a documentary film, presentations and articles in industry publications. The value of this archive has been commended by the British Film Institute and the British Library, as well as by other organisations which have supported us, including the BBC, Pathé News and StudioCanal.
2016 marked a turning point in the development and sharing of the archive. Any interviews since then have been carried out independently by the University of Hertfordshire or by Elstree Screen Heritage.
This decision reflects the priorities of the University of Hertfordshire and Elstree Screen Heritage. However, it has been agreed that all past interviews will be freely accessible to the general public as well as to academic researchers. The Elstree Project will continue and the University of Hertfordshire remains committed to making the interviews available, with the first set becoming ‘live’ before the end of 2019. These interviews will be able to be enjoyed through the project website www.theelstreeproject.org
The partnership between the University of Hertfordshire and Elstree Screen Heritage has come to an end. The University of Hertfordshire gratefully acknowledges the unique contribution and knowledge of Paul Welsh, Chair of Elstree Screen Heritage, who prepared and interviewed most of the film and TV veterans who took part from 2010 to 2016.
Both Elstree Screen Heritage and the University of Hertfordshire are grateful beyond words to everyone who agreed to share their memories of life in the studios of Elstree & Borehamwood.
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