HUMBLE HISTORY
Telling the stories of ordinary people in the past
In 2014 this local landmark was found to be in serious need of repair. With funding from the Heritage Lottery and others, major renovations were undertaken, alongside a community arts project exploring the role of the building within the local community, today and in the past. Presented as an illustrated talk to the community, my research into the history of the building was also used to inspire and inform animations produced by residents of all ages aided by the Day-Light Group, as well as a new song by resident professional musicians to be performed by the community choir formed for the project.
Another strand of the St Day Clock Tower project was to research the lives of the men commemorated on the war memorial that now forms part of the building. The initial information that I have discovered about the men was incorporated into an animated film and more detailed biographies were published as a booklet at the end of the project.
Ruyton XI Towns castle
In 2004 the residents in Ruyton XI Towns in Shropshire formed a heritage group and secured funding for a project to conserve, improve access and provide interpretation of the ruined castle that lay neglected in the churchyard of this village on the English Welsh border. My role was to review the existing literature to produce an outline history of the site, its ownership and previous archaeological investigations.
LOCAL HERITAGE RESEARCH
Tales of a Cornish clock tower
Proudly known locally as the Town Clock, the clock tower in St Day stands as a reminder of the village's more prosperous past at the heart of the Cornish mining district now accredited with World Heritage Site status.
Remembering the war dead of St Day
DiaspAURA Light Festival
February 2020
In 2019/20 I worked again with
the Day-Light Group
providing the historical research
to inform local school children and professional artists in the creation of animations, lanterns and
light installations
for a three-day light festival
celebrating community ownership of
St Day Old Church, its history and connections with the wider world and especially the Cornish diaspora.