30 September 2008
The hidden stories of working people in Suffolk are to be brought to life, following the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) awards of £999,500 to the Real Lives Project at Ickworth House and £198,500 to the East Anglia Transport Museum
Robyn Llewellyn, Head of HLF East of England, said:
“These awards illustrate our commitment to supporting projects that celebrate the heritage of Suffolk. Through innovative investment a wide range of organizations, from the entirely volunteer led East Anglia Transport Museum to the National Trust, we are giving local communities an opportunity to take an active role in identifying and preserving their heritage. Both of these projects will celebrate the lives of real people that make our heritage so rich and enjoyable for everyone.”
Since 1994 Heritage Lottery Fund has awarded over £30 million to projects in Suffolk; this includes community heritage projects such as conservation and public access to Theatre Royal in Bury St. Edmunds, the restoration of the Lydia Eva fishing boat in Lowestoft and ‘Gallow’s Song’ – a play put together by a youth theatre that explores the explores stories of crime and punishment of young people in Victorian Suffolk.
Ickworth House
Real Lives is a groundbreaking project that will transform the experience of visitors to Ickworth House by bringing alive the memories of the many people who worked in the service of this spectacular country house and estate.
Focusing on former servants at Ickworth, Real Lives will tell the true story of the everyday ‘upstairs-downstairs’ domestic life of a working country house and estate. Real Lives is a community based research, learning and training project. The result will be an innovative and engaging presentation of the kitchens and domestic areas in the basement of the Rotunda, from 1910 onwards. It will take in intriguing topics such as the domestic technology of this grand country house and has resonances with contemporary sustainability issues.
Many people who once worked in the House and on the Ickworth Estate still live nearby. A newly appointed Real Lives Project officer will work with local volunteers to collect former workers’ personal memories and reminiscence. It is hoped that this will act as a catalyst for people to share their memories of the house and estate, including those from evacuees who were billeted in Ickworth House during the Second World War.
Visitors to Ickworth’s Real Lives project will be taken back to the Edwardian period. This new visitor experience will be housed in the old service quarters which lie undisturbed beneath Ickworth House’s iconic Rotunda. Numerous examples of Edwardian technology survive in this network of rooms, including cooking ranges, luggage lifts, hoists, communication bells and examples of rainwater collection and filtration systems.
Kate Carver, The National Trust’s Property Manager of Ickworth House, Park and Gardens said:
“It is fantastic that the Heritage Lottery Fund has awarded us this funding. We are all very excited about Real Lives. By involving the local community (including young people, adults and families) in the research, learning and training elements of the project, we have a unique opportunity to make sure the final product reflects their passions and the stories from their communities as well as giving Ickworth’s visitors an insight into how life was for ordinary people in the heyday of the House and wider estate. By capturing the memories of real people, their real lives, we can demonstrate the importance of the connection between Ickworth and the community.”
Richard Spring MP (West Suffolk) said:
"Ickworth House is a very special example of our nation's built heritage. The Real Lives project will provide a wonderful opportunity for more people to learn about the history of both Ickworth House and the people who once worked there. This is a truly innovative project will allow the local community to get involved with the development of new exhibitions at Ickworth House."
Tar, Sweat and Steam at the East Anglian Transport Museum
The age of steam is to be brought back to life at the East Anglian Transport Museum thanks to a Heritage Lottery Fund award of £198,500, which will be used to tell the story of the Roadmen of East Anglia, and their unique way of life, completing the history of transport at their museum.
This new exhibition will complete the history of transport at the Museum. A purpose built building will be constructed to house and ensure the preservation of key historic vehicles from the period. These include a working 1920s steam roller conserved by the museum, an accompanying water cart and a 1910 Living Van, which would have housed the workers on the road.
This iconic Living Van will be restored to its original condition – complete with bunks, bedding and stove. As the living van will be inaccessible for those in wheelchairs a life size 2D living van interior will be reproduced on one wall and the Seagull Theatre, a local community initiative, will make a short dramatization of life in the van which will be shown at a height suitable for all ages and abilities. This will be accompanied by a series of interactive exhibits that will let visitors explore the sights, sounds and even the tar smells of the steam era.
David Jordan, Chairman of the East Anglia Transport Museum, said,
“We are delighted that the grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund will enable all our visitors to view and engage with the steam collection. A dedicated steam centre has been part of the museum’s plans for a long time. This award will also provide an education facility which meets needs expressed in surveys. We look forward to working with the Heritage Lottery Fund in developing “Tar, Sweat and Steam”.”
This dedicated steam centre will be unique in East Anglia and is set in the only museum in England which offers rides on trams, a light railway and British and European trolleybuses on one site.
Bob Blizzard MP (Waveney) said:
"I am absolutely delighted that the Heritage Lottery Fund is funding these enormously significant works for the Museum. The museum is a key heritage asset to the Lowestoft are. It is visited and loved by many people including visitors from all over the world. This refurbishment and regeneration will ensure the development of the East Anglian Transport Museum and enable a wider audience to enjoy it."
Notes to Editors
Using money raised through the National Lottery, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) sustains and transforms a wide range of heritage for present and future generations to take part in, learn from and enjoy. From museums, parks and historic places to archaeology, natural environment and cultural traditions, we invest in every part of our diverse heritage. HLF has supported more than 26,000 projects, allocating over £4billion across the UK, including over £270million to the East of England alone.