The Witness Project

About us

The Witness Project is based at the University of Sheffield’s Department of History. Witness was set up in 2011 by two of the department’s historians, Professor Charles West and Dr Andrew Heath, to collect and preserve Sheffield’s past through the medium of oral history. Over the years, since its inception, interviews have been carried out by trained History students, who engage with residents of the city.

Dr Lucy Brown is the current academic lead on the project, and we will continue to conduct new interviews and add to our archive on an ongoing basis.

Over the years we have collected over fifty interviews, with most being readily accessible via our online archive. Our work has uncovered lesser known aspects of Sheffield’s history, as well as personal thoughts and anecdotes that provide a valuable insight into life in Sheffield in the twentieth century. We have interviews covering everything from the Sheffield Blitz to Sheffield’s nightclubs!

Thanks to all those who’ve supported the Witness oral history project: Charles West, Andrew Heath, Daniel Lee, Michelle Winslow, Jessica Hill, Richita Bhattacharyya, Sarah Kenny, Liz Goodwin, Georgia Trelogan, Will Roberts and James Pearson. Above all, though, thanks to our amazing interviewees – the people who make Sheffield special.