UK's 'biggest anarchist archive' - based in living room of a St Ann's house

THE SPARROWS’ NEST IS VISITED BY ACADEMICS, HISTORIANS AND ARTISTS

- By LOUIS CORBETT

THE Sparrows’ Nest, the self-proclaimed biggest anarchist archive in the UK, isn’t where you might think it would be - buried in a university library or perhaps hidden away in the back of a museum.

The collection sits in boxes upon boxes meticulously ordered in a living room.

After walking through the pedestrianised alleyways of St Ann’s in the blistering heat, we found The Sparrows’ Nest.

The anarchist movement can be defined as a way of thinking that believes in a self-governed approach to authority, aiming to establish voluntary associations while rejecting hierarchical structures.

Examples of contemporary anarchism often include some current environmental protest groups.

The house in the middle of St Ann’s is home to thousands of archived activist leaflets, objects from famous protests, badges from local and national campaigns, as well as a host of local newspapers, all saved for the objective of digitising local and international anarchist movements.

Keyworth-born retired historian Claire Taylor banded together with five others more than 15 years ago to immortalise every piece of activist and anarchist literature from the past 50 years.