The Friends of Coggeshall Grange Barn celebrated ‘Heritage in Our Hands’, a project to research and record the story of the Barn for all to enjoy. The event was a double celebration as 2009 is the 20th anniversary of Coggeshall Grange Barn being given to the National Trust.
The Saunders Tools exhibition, an integral part of Heritage in Our Hands, was officially unveiled by Janet Saunders, the donor of the collection.
The exhibition, currently in the Grange Barn, is temporary. The long-term plan is to restore the Byre to the south-west of the barn to house a permanent exhibition.
‘Heritage in Our Hands’ was made possible through £23,100 funding awarded by the Local Heritage Initiative (LHI, now overseen by Heritage Lottery Fund). Coggeshall’s LHI Group, which consists of people from the local and wider communities all passionate about Grange Barn, secured the funding in 2006 for the project, due for completion in July 2009.
Brian Smith, Chairman of The Friends of Coggeshall Grange Barn, said:
'The community fought to save the Barn from destruction in the 1980s, and since then we've all worked hard to ensure its place at the heart of Coggeshall’s heritage.
'Today’s celebrations were enjoyed by all and we're delighted that Janet Saunders was with us to unveil the beautiful display of tools collected by her late father Bryan, and linked inextricably with the Barn through the skilled craftsmen of Coggeshall.'
© National Trust
In addition to the Saunders Tools exhibition, ‘Heritage in Our Hands’ consists of historical research into Coggeshall Abbey, a Cistercian Abbey, of which Grange Barn was a part.
The third element is the collection of oral archives, recording the memories of key characters associated with the Barn’s turbulent history.
The final aim was to increase the skills and knowledge of participants, which has been achieved through a variety of workshops and training.
|
