We are delighted to receive funding for a heritage project in West London which highlights how the decline of heavy industry impacted communities as part of Historic England’s ‘Everyday Heritage Grants: Celebrating Working Class History.’
The new grant scheme was launched by Historic England earlier this year to support community-led projects and further the nation’s collective understanding of the past.
Community and heritage organisations were invited to apply for grants to unlock untold local stories and hidden histories.
We've been awarded over £22,000 to run a project called Temples of Industry.
Through the lens of three former factory buildings, the project will explore the impact of the decline of heavy industry in the 1970s and 80s on local communities.
We will work with local people, archives and community organisations to pull together fragmented collections, photographs and documentation, collect new oral histories and work with young people to create a documentary film. This will be compiled into a digital exhibition, co-created and co-curated with project participants.
Ellie Lewis-Nunes, Heritage & Communities Manager at Gunnersbury, said: “The buildings we will explore, and the stories of the people who worked in them, are representative of industry across West London. This project will provide us with an excellent foothold to understanding an intense period of our local history and enable local people to share that history in their own words.”
Duncan Wilson, Chief Executive of Historic England, said: “Heritage should be for everyone. I am delighted that we are able to provide funding for this project through our Everyday Heritage Grants, which will help to bring our collective and shared history back to life. These grants will enable people to tell their own stories, in their own way, and connect with others in their communities through a shared understanding of their local heritage.
He continued: “The histories of castles and great houses and their inhabitants are well documented, but we know far less about our everyday heritage. From council estates, pubs and clubs, to farms, factories and shipyards, these are the places where most people have lived, worked and played for hundreds of years. We want to explore these untold stories and celebrate the people and places at the heart of our history.”
Everyday Heritage Grants: Celebrating Working Class Histories is one of many ongoing cultural projects that Historic England is delivering in order to shine a light on the diversity of the nation’s heritage.