News from South Gloucestershire

Dyrham Park

Curator’s Choice. Six must-sees at Dyrham Park.

Rupert Goulding, Lead Curator, South West Region. Rupert has been curator for Dyrham Park for over a decade and his selection of must see places and objects offer unexpected perspectives.

For information see here

Dyrham Park’s Colonial Connections

At Dyrham Park in Gloucestershire, connections to empire run deep in the activities of three families: the Wynters, the Poveys and the Blathwayts. Together, they take us through 100 years of British imperial ambitions, from exploration and the start of the transatlantic slave trade, to the foundations of a colonial empire.

Thomas Povey, c.1657, by John Michael Wright. This is one of two portraits of Povey by Wright at Dyrham Park. © National Trust Images

For more information, see here

£7.5m boost for Kingswood High Street

Our work to rejuvenate Kingswood High Street through the Love our High Streets programme has been given a £7.5m boost by the West of England Combined Authority (WECA).

The provisional investment is subject to Government funding being secured, but alongside our own £5m investment will help the Council progress property acquisitions and first phase redevelopment, including the restoration of the Whitfield Tabernacle, the pedestrianisation of Regent Street and public realm enhancement.

Cllr Toby Savage, Leader of the Council, said: “Together with the private sector and the community, we will transform the heart of Kingswood, create opportunities for a new family and evening economy in the area and inspire further public and private sector investment into Kingswood.”

Aerospace Bristol News

Aerospace Bristol have a £30,000 Arts Council England grant for a Digital Aerospace Lives Project

Bristol receives £30,000 Art Fund grant for Aerospace Lives project

The platform will enhance the Aerospace Bristol visitor experience, using the museum’s archive materials to reveal new insights into the historic Filton site

For further information, see here: https://aerospacebristol.org/news/

Also, Aerospace Bristol recommends tuning in to BBC Radio 4 Extra Out of this World: The Colin Pillinger Story available on iPlayer.

Yate and District Heritage Centre is holding a series on online talks.  For more information and booking, see here. 

AVON LOCAL HISTORY AND ARCHAEOLOGY

e-update 28 February 2021 contains lots of news and information.

Read the full issue here

Jane Marley, Museums and Heritage Officer, South Gloucestershire Council

Jackie Sims, local historian

As well as being the foremost researcher and publiciser of local Filton History from the late 1990s,

Jackie was deeply involved in the community development group, ‘Filton People’,

 In 1994 Stan and Jackie Sims conceived the idea of a group which would identify the Filton community’s social, environmental and recreational needs, and then promote and encourage community solutions. To this end a steering group was set up and a questionnaire was sent out to every household. The subsequent Filton Profile Report was then sent to Filton and South Gloucestershire councillors, and a copy lodged with the local Filton Library. With encouragement and funding from Filton Town Council and South Gloucestershire Council the issues of local transport, the needs of older people and of children and young people, and of the environment were addressed. The name was changed to Filton People and continued until 2008 when the work was taken over by the Southern Brooks Community Development group.

Throughout this period both Stan and Jackie Sims led the research, funding-provision and administration and were the source of many of the innovative ideas.

During this period Jackie Sims was also researching Filton’s history. Beginning with the listing of the aviation headquarters, Filton House (now Pegasus House), she worked to promote and record the local history of the community.

In 1999 she obtained a Millenium grant of £23,000 for a project working with three classes of local schoolchildren to discover Filton’s rich history. This kicked off a series of oral history interviews, with the result that eventually twelve books of local memories were published, one nationally. Where possible these were illustrated and throughout Jackie’s editorial leadership was evident.

The largest oral project was for the BAC Centenary. The stories of workers and ex-employees of both Filton’s local aviation industries were recorded, and the resulting book contained about seventy insights on many aspects of aeroplane manufacture including social, training and wartime conditions. Jackie had overall editorial leadership and the resulting published interview texts were praised by the participants themselves.

‘Your book edit was very smooth. It is excellent how it’s been done’.

 Jackie worked on her own projects. Beginning by obtaining the listing of the aviation headquarters, Filton House (now Pegasus House), she researched subjects such as the local Civil Defence, the aviation factory’s development of prefabricated housing, the Shield family’s Laundry and other projects.

During the whole period of Filton Community History’s work Jackie was tireless in encouraging the committee, directing the progress and continuing her own research projects. All this material has been snapped up by Gloucestershire Archives, who now hold the bulk of the group’s work.

Jane Tozer, February 3.2021