Heritage Lottery Fund new small grants programme

Deadline: 31 July 2012

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has announced the launch of a new £1 million small grants programme for people to get involved in their heritage. Called ‘All Our Stories’, the programme will provide grants of £3,000 to £10,000 to support charities, community groups and heritage organisations running local history projects. The types of activities that can be supported include:

• visits to places like historic buildings, landscapes, parks, burial grounds, museums, archaeological sites or industrial heritage sites like railways;
• using collections like archives, libraries and museums, including collections held by people in the community;
• talking to people who know about heritage or holding workshops, talks and sessions exploring people’s memories;
• recording things like people’s memories or local wildlife;
• scanning old photographs and documents;
• archaeological digs or surveying historic buildings.

 To be eligible for funding organisations will need to share what has been learnt by holding or producing things like:
• community events;
• digital things like smart phone apps, DVDs or websites;
• display boards;
• exhibitions;
• guides/trails;
• leaflets or books;
• packs for schools;
• performances.

HLF is working in partnership with universities throughout the UK to offer support with activities. The closing date for applications is the 31 July 2012.

For information visit:  www.hlf.org.uk/HowToApply/programmes/Pages/Allourstories.aspx

Historic features at St. George’s Chapel

Restoration work at St. George’s Chapel has uncovered “lavish and unique” original paint finishes on its timber columns which experts believe are of major historical significance.

A team from the University of Lincoln discovered the 300 year old finishes hidden under many layers of paint applied over the centuries and the original finishes appear to be still intact and well preserved.

The four most important columns at the East end of the building were decorated with an opulent scheme imitating lapis lazuli using ground blue glass and gold.  Experts now believe that these were part of a much more extensive paint scheme covering the entire chapel.  Michael Crick-Smith, a senior research fellow at University of Lincoln, said “What makes this find so exciting is the exceptional quality of these finishes.  You would normally only find such work in Royal Palaces and, in addition, we have found very unusual application techniques were used.  We consider this to be a find of national importance.”

Historian Stephen Heywood said the find significantly added to the historical understanding about the building. He said, ” St. George’s has recently been recognised as one of the most important examples of Baroque church architecture outside London.  These rich decorations – which would have involved great expense – demonstrate the great wealth and ambition of the Borough in the early 18th Century. Yet it was probably only a few decades before changes in the church towards a more radical Protestant ethic led to all these decorations being washed off or painted over.  It is wonderful to find that such an important element of the original scheme has survived.”

At present only small sample areas of the columns have been treated. Consultation is taking place between Hopkins Architects, English Heritage and the St. George’s Trust to decide whether to reveal all or some of the columns.  Great Yarmouth Borough Council’s Conservation Officer, Darren Barker, said. “It is a difficult decision – while it would be great to reveal the columns in their original state for the public to see, we also need to consider how this can be blended into a working performance venue.  We must ensure the long term protection of the finishes, and of course, cost may in the short term be a factor. Whatever decision is made, we are keen that it does not delay the completion of the building works.”

Repair work on the building by the contractor R. G. Carter is nearly complete and the intricate process has begun of fitting out and installing services into the building without effecting the historic fabric.

Gemma Smart, Conservator, working on the columns at St. George’s Chapel.

St. John’s Church, Lancaster Road, Great Yarmouth

St. John’s Church, Great Yarmouth, nave, photograph by B.Heriz, 2011

Dr. Paul Davies gave members of the Great Yarmouth and District Local History and Archaeology Society a guided tour around St. John’s Church in Lancaster Road, Great Yarmouth on Sunday 7th August .  English Heritage has agreed to contribute towards the cost of reroofing this interesting church, designed by the Victorian architect J.H.Hakewill in an unusually resonant  Early English style.  The carving of the capitals on the pillars supporting the bold brick arches is very fine, each capital displaying a different design.

St. John’s Church, Great Yarmouth, photograph by Derek Jackson, 2011

The  corner-stone of St. John’s Church was laid in June 1857 and the building cost £2,000, paid for with the support of the Ecclesiastical Commission – treasury money made available for the construction of new churches in an effort to promote good social behaviour in this country after the scare of the revolution in France! 

  Photograph by Derek Jackson, 2011

The church  was intended for the fishermen who used the beach nearby – the site was originally a rope maker’s laying ground, as Dr. Davies explained.  Pews  reserved for fishermen and their families were free for them to use – which meant a reduction in pew rent and consequent financial problems for the church. 

 Poppy Head, photographed by Derek Jackson, 2011

There are a few remaining examples of the finely carved  poppy heads which were unfortunately sawn off the pew ends at one point in the history of the church.  Dr. Paul Davies explained that these were carved in the mid to late 19th Century and, very unusually, by a woman artist, a Miss Lovell.  Her father served at Trafalgar and ended up an Admiral (Wm. Stanhope Lovell) who used to stay at Britannia Terrace for the summer.

The church was opened in Feb. 7th, 1858  and consecrated on April 22nd, 1858. In 1859, the southern aisle was added as a memorial to the late Miss Maurice, and the church was enlarged again in 1878 with the addition of a north aisle.  The Octagon, which forms very much part of the character of the church from the outside, was added in 1883.

The church is ornamented with original designs displaying text from the Bible, and the rose chancel was embellished with new windows decorated with bright red columns in 1907 when the St. John’s went through a high church phase.  There are also some very fine stained glass windows.

  The Chancel, St. John’s, Derek Jackson, 2011

  Ceiling of chancel, B.Heriz, 2011

St. John’s is yet another of Great Yarmouth’s heritage jewels and it is wonderful to learn that it is going to be conserved and used.  Dr. Paul Davies is currently writing a history of the church and its role within past communities of Great Yarmouth.

Fishermen had long preferred to land their catches on the beach rather than journey up the River Yare to the town of Great Yarmouth.  A jetty was built in 1560 to facilitate beach landings and a community of  fishermen’s cottages with sheds and and beerhouses gradually grew along the beach around the jetty above the high water mark.  This became known as the Beach Town.

The beachmen made their living by fishing, piloting and ferrying goods and men out to ships anchored in the Yarmouth Roads, and also salvage when opportunity rose. They set up beach companies who owned boats specifically for the purpose of rescue and salvage. From the 18th Century many of their activities were documented in the records of the Admiralty Court in Great Yarmouth.  By 1860 there were seven companies, each with its own headquarters and look out on the beach.  

The decline of the beach community began in the mid-19th Century when the new Fish Market was opened in 1867 on Fish Wharf.  By that time steam tugs were available to tow the trawlers into the river and many fisher people  relocated to Great Yarmouth and commercial activity on the new wharf.  By the 20th century activity on the seafront was centred on seaside holiday business and the beach companies declined, their lookouts and sheds demolished.  The sea front was redeveloped for the holiday trade.

For more information on the beach communities in Great Yarmouth and other locations along the coast, see “The Beachmen” by David Higgins, published by Terence Dalton Ltd.,  Lavenham, 1987, ISBN 0 86138 047 9.  To illustrate the text, the author has published his marvellous collection of prints depicting the men, boats and buildings of the beach communities over the centuries.

Patricia Wills-Jones B.Sc. (Hons) MA His., PGCE, is also interested in St. John’s in connection with her research on women in the fishing industry, soon to be published under the title “Beatsters, Braiders and Ransackers”.  She noted that the beach community in Great Yarmouth was as large as that in Lowestoft and, living outside the town wall,  used to vote in it’s own representative whom it called  ‘mayor’.  

    Font, St. John’s,  Derek Jackson, 2011

Ref: The  Beachmen’s Church, St. John’s Church, Great Yarmouth, by Dr. Paul P. Davies.  This well-researched softback book with full colour photographs, printed by RPD Litho Printers , costs only £10, and is available from St. Nicholas Minster Church or from the author.  Dr. Davies is the archivist at St. Nicholas Minster Church.

Yarmouth in Days Gone By archive film

Fascinating archive film of the Herring Industry, Scottish fisher girls at work, promotional films from the 1930′s and 1950′s,  holidays at Great Yarmouth, The Prince of Wales opening the Haven bridge and visits by stars such as Tommy Cooper, Benny Hill & Ruby Murray.

Gorleston-On-Sea Heritage Group (GOSH) will also be showing old pictures of Gorleston Thursday 29th July 2.30pm in the Lecture Hall, Gorleston Library.  Everyone welcome Admission £3 (£2.50 concessions).  Tickets available in advance from the Library and on the door. Refreshments available.

Cobholm Underpass Mural

The ARC Artists Group was one of the  lucky voluntary groups to be approved by people living in Cobholm, Southtown and Halfway House wards for a Neighbourhood Management  “Your Neighbourhood, Your Decision” grant .  Katarzyna Coleman, Chair of ARC, submitted a proposal to start a project to run workshops with local residents and the young people who use the nearby sports facilities to design and paint a mural in the underpass in Cobholm.

Kate at the Underpass with Chris and Neil from Addison Decorations Ltd.  who have offered to support the project with professional advice.

£10,000 altogether was allocated for projects which will benefit local people, around £500 available per project, with all project ideas being put forward by residents and local organisations.   The results of the voting were announced on the 25th March 2010 at the Edward Worlledge School, Suffolk Road, an occasion that genuinely felt like a celebration of community spirit. Congratulations to Holly and Erika for such a successful start to this neighbourhood initiative. 

The team is now based at 110 Lichfield Road where residents are welcome to come and talk about anything to do with life in the three wards.  Further neighbourhood gatherings have been organised for 16th April, Southtown Neighbourhood Group, Lichfield Community Centre, 10.30 a.m.; 20th April Cobholm Neighbourhood Group, Cobholm Primary School, 1.30 p.m.; 21st April, Halfway House Neighbourhood Group, Claydon Pavilion Community Centre, 10.30 a.m.