Extracting Warwickshire's Past: Neighbourhood Outreach Strategy


Aims:

The project’s intention is to produce a strategy for delivering an HER outreach programme for the aggregate producing areas of Warwickshire. It will promote public and aggregate industry understanding and appreciation of past human activity within past, current and potential future aggregate extraction areas of Warwickshire.

Objectives:

  • To produce a strategy for delivering an HER outreach programme.
  • To encourage participation by quarry companies in community activities.
  • To create links between the HER and local communities
  • To increase use by secondary schools of the information held in the HER.
 


Project Details and Outcomes:

A series of five pilot projects are in progress:

· Archaeological Network

A network linking local communities with the HER is being created through working with a number of groups to conduct fieldwalking at two sites and geophysical survey of a medieval site over two weekends. Additionally a local history toolkit is being created, to aid people learning to conduct documentary research, which will also be available online. Community groups are also being encouraged to develop websites using the “Warwickshire Communities” network.

· E-Gallery

An E-Gallery is being created with two exhibitions to link to the current Warwickshire online HER. Two exhibition themes are: Prehistoric Archaeology of Warwickshire and the History of Aggregate Quarrying in Warwickshire.

· Portable exhibition

A traditional portable exhibition using the similar themes to the E-gallery is being created linked to the Warwickshire County Council Museum “On the road” touring exhibition programme.

· HER enhancement

The HER website is being updated and an online form created which members of the public can use to record any discoveries that they make. Additionally, information from a collection of nationally important flint tools is being added to the HER.

· School Pack

The School Pack has been designed for Key Stage three children (11-14 years). It takes the form of a debate about a potential quarry expansion. Accompanying the school pack will be a number of resources that will include maps, aerial photographs and objects to handle. The School Pack will be utilised by the Heritage Education Department at Warwickshire County Council.

  
 

Resources and Delivery and/or Partnerships:

Project Manager – full time 13 months

Project Officer – full time 6 months

Internal Specialists

External IT Consultants Beattie Media

Local School/s

External Specialists

Funding:

This is a Warwickshire County Council project, supported by the English Heritage Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund (ALSF).

Duration of Project:

 

Approx. 12 months ending in February 2007.

 

Sustainability:


The project is creating resources and networks which will be utilised and sustained after the project has ended. 

Evaluation:


Externally monitored against the agreed Project Design by English Heritage 


Contact:

Want to know more? For more information about this project contact:

 

Christina Evans, Museum Field Services, The Butts, Warwick, CV34 4SS. (01926 412734).

Email: ChristinaEvans@warwickshire.gov.uk