Anna Stone

Our research is always unearthing many stories that we'd like to share with you. I hope you enjoy them!

Anna Stone, Group archivist

Anna Stone was appointed Group Archivist of Aviva in November 2000.

She discovered archives as a career half way through a degree in History at Exeter University. After a year of work experience in the archive section at Lloyds TSB, she took her MA in archives and records management at University College London. This included further work placements at BT and the Bank of England. Her first job after qualifying was as deputy archivist for Guinness based in an old hop store on the Park Royal Brewery.

Her first task on joining Aviva was to set up a new group archive in Norwich and transfer to it the archives of General Accident and Commercial Union which were then stored in Perth and London.

Dictators not tyrants

Anna Stone 08 July 2010
Subjects: History - Staff memories Materials - Cartoons Materials - Magazines

Following on from my last blog about women in the office I thought I would share a small selection of material from staff magazines dealing with the thorny relationship between typists and those who dictated to them.

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Women in the history of Aviva

Anna Stone 31 March 2010
Subjects: History - Interesting stories Materials - Magazines

International Women’s Day at the start of this month and subsequent discussions relating to workplace diversity on our intranet forum set me thinking about the employment of women in the history of Aviva.

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Insurance claims - it's a funny business

Anna Stone 01 February 2010
Subjects: History - Interesting stories Materials - Cartoons

A quick search of the internet reveals any number of collections of amusing insurance claims, indeed I have just read a few for research purposes and had to try very hard not to laugh out loud and disturb the researcher currently working in my office.

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He's behind you - Insurance men in pantomime

Anna Stone 14 December 2009
Subjects: History - Interesting stories

I thought as the festive season approached that I would try to write a seasonal blog. I made a fruitless search for material relating to Christmas crackers and puddings and then came across some programmes and photographs relating to various staff plays and a blog loosely connected by the theme of pantomimes was born.

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Danger, men at work - Silk hats must be worn!

Anna Stone 27 August 2009
Subjects: History - Interesting stories

In our three hundred year history Aviva companies have employed an enormous number of people. This month I’ve been digging around in the archive to find out about the rules that governed their working lives.

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Comprehensive Insurance

Anna Stone 18 February 2009
Subjects: History - Interesting stories

Insurance for grocers against accidental ptomaine poisoning of their customers and for farmers for injuries to their livestock caused during castration - is there anything we haven't covered?

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Chattering Teeth

Anna Stone 17 December 2008
Subjects: History - Interesting stories Materials - Magazines

It is snowing this morning in Norwich but this is not a blog about the cold weather it is a blog about the insurance of teeth, specifically false teeth.

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We will remember them

Anna Stone 07 November 2008
Subjects: History - Interesting stories History - Staff memories

In September, inspired by the forthcoming BBC Remembrance 90 campaign, I set out to see if Aviva could take part in the act of remembrance using records held in the archive relating to staff who served and died in the 1914-1918 war.

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Olympic dreams

Anna Stone 12 August 2008
Subjects: History - Interesting stories

So, what is the link between Aviva and the team from Chile in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens?

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Rhymes from past times

Anna Stone 11 July 2008
Subjects: History - Interesting stories History - Staff memories

The past few weeks have been unusually busy in the archive strong room. During the refurbishment of the surrounding buildings one end of the room was invaded by fine white dust and we have had a specialist disaster recovery firm in to remove it all.

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Anyone for tennis?

Anna Stone 27 June 2008
Subjects: History - Interesting stories

It's Wimbledon fortnight so I thought I'd share some tennis related stories from the Aviva archive.

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Drawing on the past

Anna Stone 17 June 2008
Subjects: History - Company acquisitions Materials - Cartoons

A cartoon from a 1900 CU Annual gives a fascinating insight into the machinations of the insurance industry at the time.

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Material gains

Anna Stone 17 June 2008
Subjects: Materials - New donations

People often ask how we manage to gather such a wide range of group material for the archive. As this blog demonstrates, our material can come from a variety of sources.

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The ex factor

Anna Stone 17 June 2008
Subjects: History - Staff memories

Input from former Aviva Group employees helps make our archive a valuable tool for the researchers of the future.

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Archiving history

Anna Stone 17 June 2008
Subjects: History - Company acquisitions Materials - New donations

The history of the current group archive dates back to 2000 and the merger of CGU and Norwich Union. Since then we have played an important role in creating a centralised and comprehensive record of the activities of Aviva Group companies over the past 300 years.

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Building the archive

Anna Stone 17 June 2008
Subjects: Materials - New donations

A combination of luck and endeavour helps us to continually add new material to the range of fascinating records available in the Group Archive.

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