Case Study - Canalside Community Centre Heritage Project

Programme: Your Heritage
Applicant: The Canalside Community Association
Grant awarded: £49,800
Project length: August 2007 – August 2009

Canalside Community Centre - printable (MS Word, 143KB)

Summary

The Canalside Community Centre is a Grade II* listed building dating from 1876. It was built by the Ancient Order of Foresters, a Friendly Society dedicated to community welfare and education.

The building was in state of serious disrepair after years of use as a nightclub, and neglect of its significance. The Centre lies in a disadvantaged residential area in Bank Hall ward, Burnley – an area where there was a real need for improved community facilities.

The aims of the project

The aims of the project were to:

restore the building and return it to use as a community centre;
create a local heritage centre; and to
enable local people to take part in creating the educational resource.

As part of the project, local people had the opportunity to take part in a wide range of activities to explore the heritage and create a permanent record. This included oral history; the creation of a website and of photo-montage Change Banners; and the production of heritage plaques to display along the Straight Mile area of the Leeds Liverpool Canal, which runs next to the Centre. The group worked with the support of a community architect, and a specialist arts organisation.

Benefits for heritage

Key historic features of the building have been restored, including internal spaces. The façade has been restored and returned to its original appearance.
The building has been given a new sustainable use as a community resource. This use echoes the original purpose of the Ancient Order of Foresters.
Stories of the local area have been captured, creating a new understanding of the way the community has changed over time.
A permanent record, in various forms, will help people interpret the building and its local environment.

Benefits for people

The community has been involved in a range of exciting activities such as:

researching and designing Change Banners – showing changes in the local area since the 1870s through photo-montage;
sharing their memories and stories for the oral history work, taking part as interviewers, and helping to produce the DVD;
designing plaques based on local stories and events, for display along the Straight Mile on the canal;
creating the Canalside website as a permanent resource and record of the project
Through these activities there were opportunities to learn skills in archive research and oral history, art and design, digital photography, DVD and website design;
The DVD and website has allowed people to go on exploring local heritage in the future, and share the project with a much wider audience;
People have also been able to visit the building on Heritage Walks and Heritage Open Days;
The project will work to involve a range of people from within the diverse local community. It will help create a sense of shared heritage.

Lessons learnt

Co-ordinating the capital works and activities was more difficult than expected, and has led to some frustrations for the organisers.
It is essential to keep some flexibility about outputs; as the project has developed it has also changed shape.
If you are doing group reminiscence work, be prepared for the conversation to take an unexpected focus.

Long term benefits

A building that was on the point of dereliction is now restored, and has achieved recognition of its place as part of the town’s heritage.
The project has had a ripple effect, generating new project ideas and activities.
Local people have gained skills and confidence, and an active network has been created of people who support and value the building and its role.

The budget

Main Project Costs	£	Funding	£
Repair and conservation fees	59,300	Landfill trust	50,000
Activity costs	23,200	HLF grant	49,800
Other (including VAT and contingency)	26,000	Other	8,700
		Total costs	108,500

The restored community centre building

Sector

Buildings and Monuments

Activity

Conservation