First World War: then and now - HLF launches small grants scheme

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has launched First World War: then and now, a £6 million small grants programme to help communities mark the Centenary of the First World War.

HLF is making at least £1 million available per year for six years until 2019. It will provide grants between £3,000 and £10,000 enabling communities and groups right across the UK to explore, conserve and share their First World War heritage and deepen their understanding of the impact of the conflict.

Successful projects will include:

• researching, identifying and recording local heritage
• creating a community archive or collection
• developing new interpretation of heritage through exhibitions, trails, smartphone apps etc
• researching, writing and performing creative material based on heritage sources

The new programme can also provide funding for the conservation of war memorials.

HLF has already invested £12 million in projects – large and small – that will mark the Centenary of First World War. If a group have a project idea to mark the Centenary of the First World War, an online application pack is available from the First World War: then and now page. If a group needs a grant of more than £10,000 for a First World War project, it can apply to HLF through its open programmes.

HLF-funded First World War projects

The tragic story of the Accrington Pals regiment inspired young people to create a short film about the Lancashire battalion. The film recounts the attack on Serre in 1916 that claimed the lives of most of the battalion’s soldiers and the impact on their families.  (Award £11,200)

Volunteers in Huddersfield are researching the history of rugby league, in particular the impact the war had on their local club. They are learning about the life of star team player Douglas Clark and the recruitment efforts aimed at enlisting rugby players.  (Award £99,800)

Local people in the Wylye Valley are finding out how this rural community was transformed during the early months of the First World War when a six mile site of temporary army camps were set up to train soldiers to fight in France. The largest village in the valley then had a population of 50, and the influx of trainees totalled 24,000.  (Award £18,000)

The Diamond War Memorial project revealed that the men commemorated on the monument in the centre of Derry-Londonderry were from both Unionist and Nationalist backgrounds. This discovery challenged perceptions about identity, and the monument itself is now viewed as a shared landmark in the city.  (Award £49,800)

Black families in Liverpool have been researching their roots and uncovering fascinating stories of about how their ancestors were involved in the First World War. The project will produce a collection of oral histories and potentially a range of objects and archive material that will enhance the collection at the new Museum of Liverpool.  (Award £10,000)

Lewisham Local History and Archives Centre holds a large range of primary material and resources relating to the First World War, and the boroughs of Deptford and Lewisham during the early part of the 20th century. For further information or discuss how we can support a project please email us at local.studies@lewisham.gov.uk, call us on 020 8297 0682, or drop in and visit.

Barnes Wallis, the Dambusters Raid and New Cross

70 years ago today at 9.28pm on 16 May 1943, the first of 19 Lancaster heavy bombers lifted off from RAF Scampton at the start of the Dambusters Raid on the Ruhr dams in Germany.  Immortalised by the Dambusters film and famous theme tune the bombers used the 'bouncing bomb' invented by  Sir Barnes Wallis - a New Cross resident from 1892 - 1909. 

Barnes Wallis was commemorated by the unveiling of a Lewisham Maroon Plaque at his former home at 241 New Cross Road on 29 September 1984. You can see images of the unveiling on our Picasa web album site

The wording of the plaque reads "Sir Barnes Wallis C.B.E. F.R.S., 1887-1979, Pioneer of aircraft design, lived here, 1892-1909"

Truth and Transition

SEE3 writes -
"Louise Green, a final year graphic design student at UCA Epsom, has made a short documentary on Sydenham entitled "Truth and Transition of the High Street".




In this short documentary, the local shopkeepers and residents of Sydenham discuss these questions in search for the truth, each with diverse opinions. Why and how is the landscape of the high street changing? What do people believe is currently occurring? What does the future hold?

An accompanying book is available from Sydenham Community Library or copies can be purchased by contacting Louise on louise.k.green@gmail.com. She would also like your comments on the documentary, which you can leave directly on YouTube or send by email."

Truth and Transition
Posted from SEE3

Afghan Hound Racing 1958 - British Pathe News video

In November 1958 dog breeder Jean Briggs was given permission to try out her dogs at New Cross Stadium by the Greyhound Association. British Pathe have the video which you can see on their site - Afghan Hound Racing

Afghan Hound Racing - British Pathe newsreel

Five Hundred Years of Deptford and Woolwich Royal Dockyards

Deptford is writes:

The Royal Dockyard, Deptford
from an engraving dated 1793.
Lewisham Local History & Archives collection

"The Naval Dockyards Society are holding their Annual Conference at the National Maritime Museum on Saturday 20 April.  Five Hundred Years of Deptford and Woolwich Royal Dockyards will mark the 500th anniversary of the foundation of the Thames yards by Henry VIII and will be opened by Dame Joan Ruddock, MP for Lewisham Deptford ...."

Cost: £40 (£35 students, senior citizens, unemployed)
(includes lunch – rolls, sandwiches, fruit, cake, tea and coffee 1.25-2.25pm)

The King's Dockyard was first built in 1513 and lies under the present Convoys Wharf site in Deptford.

Download the booking form.

www.navaldockyards.org
Facebook: Naval Dockyards Society
Twitter: @navdocksoc


Five Hundred Years of Deptford and Woolwich Royal Dockyards
Posted from Deptford is

The Folly in Sydenham Hill Woods

Interesting post in the Sydenham Society blog about 'Pulhamite' Victorian landscaped gardens in Sydenham

"In 2008 English Heritage published a guide to the work of Pulham & Co, who created artificial garden landscapes including grottos, temples, follies and fountains. The company also developed cement that bore a striking resemblance to natural stone and called it Pulhamite.

Pulham published a prospectus in 1877 that listed all the gardens they had worked on up to that date. Six of the gardens were in Sydenham and two in Forest Hill. The most interesting was described as “Hill Wood, Sydenham” where “Alderman Stone” commissioned two pieces of Pulhamite, one in 1862 and another in 1866 ...."

Read the complete post at ....The Folly in Sydenham Hill Woods
Posted from The Sydenham Society

Sharing Heritage launched by HLF to support local heritage and history

Sharing Heritage is a new funding programme to help people across the UK explore, conserve and share all aspects of the history and character of their local area.

With a commitment from HLF of £3m each year, grants between £3,000 and £10,000 will now be available to groups who want to discover their local heritage.

HLF writes -
"This new programme follows the unprecedented success of last year's one-off HLF grant scheme 'All Our Stories', which ran in tandem with BBC Two's The Great British Story: A People’s History, presented by historian, Michael Wood. The scheme was four times oversubscribed and convinced HLF of people's appetite to get involved.

Projects are expected to cover a wide spectrum of subject matter but could include exploring local archaeology, a community's cultures and traditions, identifying and recording local wildlife and protecting the surrounding environment, collecting and digitising old photos, producing local history publications, conserving sites or items of local significance, managing and training volunteers, and holding festivals and events to commemorate the past.

• Sharing Heritage is for any not-for-profit group wanting to explore their community’s heritage. For further information, view the Sharing Heritage page
• All Our Stories was developed in response to HLF's Strategic Framework consultation with both the public and heritage sector. Based on this, HLF has made applying for funding simpler and easier for first-time applicants and community groups. Last year, All Our Stories grants were promoted through five BBC Learning events at flagship heritage locations and regional events across the UK which ran in tandem with BBC Two's The Great British Story: A People's History series which inspired people to get involved with their local heritage. These events provided opportunities for people to discover their place in history and uncover the history of their local area and encouraged applications to HLF.
• The All Our Stories programme was four times oversubscribed with a total investment from HLF of £4.5m. Over 500 successful projects were announced in November 2012 and are currently underway.