Heritage

In 2004, Carterton's Local Heritage Group was awarded funding from the Local Heritage Initiative (funded by the Lottery) to undertake a range of projects to involve the community in exploring Carterton's interesting and unusual heritage. These were:

1. An intergenerational project over 10 weeks which brought together a group of 10 children from Edith Moorhouse Primary School and 10 members of the Over 60s Club, who worked with professional artists (supported by ITHACA) to produce a high quality colourful wall hanging depicting Carterton’s interesting heritage. The hanging is currently on display at the town hall, but is also available for community groups to borrow to display at other local venues.
2. The creation of an archive, organising existing material and new material brought forward as a result of the project, including transcriptions of reminiscence interviews. Anyone wishing to look at the archive should contact staff at the Town Hall.
3. A writing project, led by a professional writer, which produced the book: ‘Carterton Pride - Tin Shacks to Beacon Town’, click here to view sample pages, a collection of memories and poetry inspired by life in Carterton. (The link provides some sample pages; a reference copy is available at the Town Hall along with spare copies while stocks last.) The project has been recognised as an example of good practice and has been very popular with the community. A few copies are still available from the Town Hall for families in Carterton who have not yet received a copy.
4. Other members of the Heritage Group have worked with a professional designer to produce a group of 6 display boards which depict Carterton’s Heritage, which can be borrowed by local groups. A second set are on display in the windows of HSBC Bank in Tower Square.
5. A series of 5 wall boards depicting characters from Carterton's history was also developed and these boards are now on permanent display at the Town Hall.

Posterity

A second Group (Posterity) was formed, and secured another grant of just over £20,000 for 4 more projects related to Carterton’s heritage, which have been successfully completed.

1. A DVD recording Carterton’s development and the remaining buildings of historical interest has been produced.
2. The group worked with a writer to develop a script for a community play based on the transcripts of oral history and other material uncovered during the heritage project. The play is now complete and scenes recorded by the Acting Community Thingumybogs on video were shown at the opening of the Carterton Community Centre in November 2008.
3. A series of workshops with ITHACA - an Oxford-based arts group - took place, based on the community play, with groups such as those in care homes, who would normally find it difficult to be involved in such activities.
4. An archaeological examination of a piece of land owned by the Town Council, on which some Saxon remains have already been discovered, involving schoolchildren was undertaken.

Current work at the Town Hall

Members of the community occasionally bring local historical material to the Town Hall, where it is scanned/photographed, catalogued and archived. If you think you have anything of interest, we would love to hear from you; we are quite happy to come to collect. Please contact Tan Marchant at the Town Hall - email: tmarchant@carterton-tc.gov.uk

Work is also continuing to identify somewhere to display the existing material stored at the Town Hall. Discussions are currently taking place with St. Joseph's Catholic Church, which is considering whether a small display area could be incorporated into its plans for refurbishment.