Your Heritage Programme
Grant Awarded: £12,500
A grant was awarded to Smithills Hall and Park Trust for this project, which looked at the role that key Bolton women have played in the social and political development of the town from the sixteenth to the twentieth centuries.
Local people were recruited to carry out research into thirty notable Bolton women using extensive archive material available in the town and also drawing on the knowledge of local historians. Supported by an experienced script writer, volunteers were involved in writing and producing a play based on the information gathered.
The lives of these women were brought to life for the public by drama performances, including special performances for school groups. These were staged at Smithills Hall, a significant Tudor House and heritage visitor attraction in Bolton.
Workshops aimed at children and adults focussed on customs particularly relevant to the lives of women, such as Christmas traditions in Elizabethan times and the preparations necessary for a large Christmas feast. There were also costume making workshops , where people had the chance to research and make appropriate costumes. These were then used for the plays.
A brochure and video highlighting the content of the drama productions and a children’s Tudor activity book has been produced and made accessible to the public free of charge.
18/10/07