The Charles Archive: A project to digitally preserve and make publicly accessible the practice archive of F W B and Mary Charles Chartered Architects

F.W.B. 'Freddie' Charles (1912-2002) was an architect and nationally recognised expert on the conservation and repair of timber-framed buildings. Freddie and his wife, architect Mary Charles (nee Logan) (1924-2005) set up in practice in 1962 and were amongst the first to face the challenges associated with timber-frame conservation. They were involved with the restoration of many important timber-framed buildings during their career including over 250 buildings in Worcestershire, many of them of national importance. The practice also worked in a number of other counties including Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Nottinghamshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire (including Coventry) and Birmingham. Freddie died in 2002 and prior to his death the practice archive was deposited with the then Worcestershire Record Office and a number of other archive services geographically relevant to the locations where the practice had worked. In 2017 Historic England agreed to fund a project to make the practice archive of F.W.B and Mary Charles more accessible. Project aims included electronically cataloguing the archive, which had previously only been catalogue' on paper, and creating a digital archive of important material, to be made publically available. The Charles Archive digital archive includes an extensive collection of high resolution photographs, slides, plans and drawings, relating to buildings across Worcestershire, held within the practice archive of F.W.B. 'Freddie' Charles (1912-2002) and Mary Charles (nee Logan) (1924-2005). The original archive is under the care of the Worcestershire Archive and Archaeology Service, a service of Worcestershire County Council. The Charles practice also worked in a number of other counties including Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Nottinghamshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire (including Coventry) and Birmingham and as such a number of other archive services, geographically relevant to the locations where the practice worked, care for original archive material. The Charles Archive digital archive includes material related to buildings across Worcestershire, including its historic towns and Worcester City. Many of these buildings are nationally protected and registered on Historic England's National Heritage List for England (NHLE). Examples include the Grade I listed Tithe Barn at Bredon (List Entry Number 1319631), the Grade I listed Cruck Barn at Leigh Court (List Entry Number 1349245) and the Grade I listed Tithe Barn at Middle Littleton (List Entry Number 1350092). Others, while not nationally protected, are recognised as locally significant buildings on the Worcestershire County Council Historic Environment Record and Worcester City Historic Environment Record