Heritage Lottery Application Update

I had a very helpful discussion with Kelly Spry-Phare today. She offered some good points for us to think about when we make our application for a Heritage Lottery Grant. We can start completing the application form now and create a portfolio of evidence and documents.

Possible etymology of Worlington

It seems likely Worlington is a name in three parts: "Worl" "ing" "ton".

"Worl" is probably a shortened form of any one of the Old English personal names: Wilhere, Wulfred, Wulffrith or Werwulf.  The "ing" means "people of" and "ton" is enclosure, estate or homestead.

1. The CD version of the Tithe Maps for East and West Worlington arrived this week from Devon Record Office. Looking forward to analysing these with the Heritage Project Group.
2. Located three different story cards produced for an Remember and Reminisce event held in the Parish Hall more than five years ago. They may be useful as part of our research.
3. The project now has a Heritage Page on East and West Worlington Community Website ; a heritage page on East Worlington Parish Hall Website ; a page on Facebook ; and a link on Twitter @EWPHHeritage. These internet locations will help tell our story and keep followers and readers well-informed and up-to-date.

Friday 23 August Update

Had a meeting today to discuss finances of grant application. Contacted Heritage Lottery and they were really helpful. Sent draft project plan to HLF for comments. We can discuss at our next Project Group meeting on 2nd September.

Devon Records Office

Devon Records Office emailed today with some very helpful links to help us access further information to support our project.
http://www.devon.gov.uk/index/councildemocracy/record_office/family_history_3/tithe_records.htm

http://www.devon.gov.uk/index/councildemocracy/record_office/house_history.htm

 

Stimulating and Interesting

This project is very stimulating and interesting. We need to learn as much as we can about the heritage associated with East Worlington Parish Hall and the local community.

East Worlington Parish Hall is a Grade II listed former barn that sits within the curtilage of the former rectory, now East Worlington House.  Probably constructed in the 17^th Centrury, the building was almost certainly originally a threshing barn and subsequently used for the collection and storage of tithes.  For the last 100 years it has served as a Parish Hall for the local community.  Although the barn has undergone a number of refurbishments and improvements over the centuries, it is once more in need of further conservation and updating.

Our vision is to create a Community Hub that provides a place not only a place where the local community can gather for learning, recreation and social and health activities but where the local history can be shared.  The building if part of the heritage of the area and our hope is that we can protect it for further generations to come.

Our focus is the ‘story’ of East Worlington Parish Hall within the context of the local community.  The current parish population includes families with deep rooted heritage in the area, and others who have moved more recently into the area.  Being a rural community the people are spread throughout the parish, sometimes quite isolated and therefore the hall has the potential to be a focal point for bringing people together.  But currently the Parish Hall is an underused resource and our aim is to change this, so the hall can be an asset for everyone who lives here and for visitors to this rural part of North Devon.

The principle objectives of our heritage project are:

• Restore, conserve and improve the utilisation of the Parish Hall
• Enable the building to fulfil its role as a community hub where the recreational, social, learning, cultural and health-related needs of local resident can be met
• Enable a community resource to generate income to achieve financial self-sustainability.
• Motivate, stimulate and support members of the community to work and learn together
• Develop further knowledge and understanding of the local history and create a documented record of our community’s heritage
• Provide opportunities for volunteers to contribute to their community development and sustainability
• Create a heritage learning hub: with physical displays and artefacts within the building; and access to learning resources both paper and electronic
• Provide a location for heritage learning through talks and heritage events
• Support local economy by encouraging and providing facilities for visitors

We are in the early stages of this project and this blog will record the journey as we attempt to fulfil our vision to create a hub for the community.