Domesday revisited

In 1986, the 900th Anniversary of the great Domesday Survey by William the Conqueror, the BBC commissioned a detailed survey of England. The whole country was split into blocks 2km x 1km and photographs and a written description were provided for each one.

This task was mainly carried out by local volunteers, and all the information was collated onto BBC discs. Unfortunately the results largely disappeared from view because the technology chosen was too expensive to be widely available, especially for schools and libraries where it was mainly intended to be used.

The BBC have now transferred the survey to more easily available resources on the internet.

The description of the Audlem area together with a few photographs (including one of Swanbach misleadingly labelled 'Swanback') can be seen using the link http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/domesday/dblock/GB-364000-342000.

The BBC website also provides the opportunity for anyone to update the descriptions and even the photographs.

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