Working class heritage is in the spotlight once again as Historic England announces further funding to uncover the stories of people and places often missing from the history records.
Castles, cathedrals and grand country houses are well documented but far less is known about ‘everyday heritage’ – the pubs, factories, football clubs and council estates where most people have lived, worked and played for hundreds of years.
Historic England is inviting community and heritage organisations to apply for funding through its ‘Everyday Heritage Grants: Celebrating Working Class Histories’ - for creative projects which will unlock and bring these stories to life.
Launched for the first-time last year, the scheme has already funded 57 projects, celebrating fascinating untold stories from across England.
Each grant awarded last year has left lasting legacies for the communities involved. In Surrey, The Friends of Horton Cemetery have created ceramic flowers to commemorate psychiatric patients in the five hospitals in Epsom who were buried without commemoration from 1899 onwards. In West Sussex, Littlehampton Town Football Club are running an intergenerational project to collect oral histories, conduct research, record match chants and songs and share stories with the community as part of the Club’s 125thanniversary.
Everyday Heritage Grants: Celebrating Working Class Histories is one of the cultural projects Historic England is delivering to shine a light on the diversity of the nation’s heritage.
Sean Curran, Head of Inclusion at Historic England, said: “We are delighted to announce further funding through our Everyday Heritage Grants: Celebrating Working Class Histories. Heritage is all around us but often the stories of ordinary people and places aren’t included in the archives and memories of their extraordinary impact on history fade away.
“We’re looking for creative projects which bring communities together, unlocking the stories and celebrating the people and places at the heart of our history. They have shaped our local identities and are integral to our country and culture.”
HOW TO APPLY
Historic England is inviting community and heritage organisations across the country to apply for grants of up to £25,000 through its Everyday Heritage Grants: Celebrating Working Class Histories.
Applications for funding for smaller grass roots projects starting at £1,000 are also welcome.
Each project should enable people to share untold stories about the places where they live, encouraging communities to examine and tell their own stories in their own ways.
The projects selected will contribute positively to participants’ wellbeing, as well as
providing innovative volunteering opportunities. Local heritage gives people a sense of pride in place and can act as a powerful catalyst for increasing local opportunities and prosperity.
Applications open on Thursday, 7 September and close on 7 November 2023.
For more information visit https://historicengland.org.uk/everydayheritage/
PROJECTS AWARDED GRANTS IN 2022 INCLUDE:
Out of Sight, Out of Mind led by the Friends of Horton Cemetery, Surrey.
This digital and arts-based project amplifies research by volunteers to reconstruct biographical histories of the thousands of men, women and children buried in ‘pauper graves’ within the largest abandoned hospital cemetery in the UK. Ceramic flowers have been created to commemorate former psychiatric patients who were buried without commemoration from 1899 onwards.
The Golds: 125 years, Littlehampton Town Football Club, West Sussex.
To mark Littlehampton Town Football Club's 125th anniversary, an intergenerational project was funded to collect oral histories, conduct research, record match chants and songs and share stories with the community.
