Two of Northampton’s leading cultural venues – Northampton Museum and Art Gallery and Royal & Derngate – have been awarded £73,200 by the Heritage Lottery fund (HLF).
The funding will support an 18-month long project which commemorates the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War (FWW) and explores the legacy of the conflict on the town.
The project, called ‘Conflict and Community – Northampton’s Response to the First World War’, is an exciting project for the two venues as it represents the first time they have worked together to plan and deliver such a large scale community venture. The project will see an exciting assortment of arts and cultural events staged in the town that will help people learn about the history of Northampton during the war.
The FWW changed the world and left an indelible imprint on the national consciousness that should not be forgotten. There is little research or published material about Northampton home front during the war that this project aims to set right. Through connecting with local people the project hopes to capture and record second generation memories before they are lost.
The stories of local men who served our country will also be told. Many of them served in the Northamptonshire Regiment and Northamptonshire Yeomanry. The loss of lives, particularly the large number who died in the battles of Auber’s Ridge and Gallipoli, had a massive impact on the borough of Northampton. Through personal accounts, letters home, family memories and information from the Northamptonshire Regimental Association and Northamptonshire Yeomanry Association, the project hopes to bring people’s WWI stories to life.
The information and personal stories uncovered during the project will preserve people’s stories for posterity and provide an invaluable resource for the town that documents the true impact of the FWW. The findings will be available as an online resource and will appear in a History Press book being published to commemorative the FWW, called Great War Towns. Two new pieces of theatre will also be created as a result of the stories and oral history gathered.
Councillor Brandon Eldred, Northampton Borough Council cabinet member for community engagement, said: “We have some wonderful events planned for 2014 to commemorate the war as well as other significant anniversaries for the town. It is great to get this lottery funding as this is a fantastic addition to what is already a packed programme.”
Find out more
For more information about the project and events visit www.northampton.gov.uk or www.royalandderngate.co.uk.
