This project focuses on the Woodsetton War Memorial, which is the memorial for the people of Swan Village, Woodsetton and Parkes Hall who fought in World War 1.
In 1922 the cenotaph was located in the centre of the small village or large hamlet known as Swan Village, surrounded immediately by open cast mine workings to the north and west, shallow workings to the south and east and the lane running through connecting the village to the surrounding villages.
Today, the land around has been reclaimed and developed. The lane is now a main commuter route to and from the dormitory areas to the west and the industrial; commercial areas to the east. It also connects with two nearby major feeder routes to the motorway network. The church where the memorial is sited has recently come under private ownership and, while the current owner is happy to look after the memorial, the feeling was that the local community would prefer the memorial to be on public land.
The new three-quarter acre site will be in the centre of the enlarged Village and will allow services to be held for a reasonable number of people in safety, unlike the present site. The project will facilitate the reinstatement of the memorial as part of the community. The project will also allow for repairs and refurbishment to the memorial and allow the community to take pride in it once more.
Pupils from the local secondary school, High Arcal, are researching the War Memorial and some of the names on it and, with the help of the grant will hold a public event to share their results with the community. A professional archaeologist, funded by the grant, will help them with their research. There will also be a celebration and commemoration event. The research and event part of the project will re-connect the community with the memorial and help make the soldiers and their sacrifice more real and remembered.
The intended outcomes are a War Memorial that is accessible to all, is part of the local community and is in a big enough space to allow the community to safely hold remembrance service.
The research part of the project will teach pupils transferable skills such as researching techniques and presentation skills, create links between older and younger generations as the pupils are helped in their research by members of the local community and raise the awareness of pupils and local people of the sacrifices and stories of the people involved in the war.
Click here to read more about the project in our recent Express & Star news feature
In 1922 the cenotaph was located in the centre of the small village or large hamlet known as Swan Village, surrounded immediately by open cast mine workings to the north and west, shallow workings to the south and east and the lane running through connecting the village to the surrounding villages.
Today, the land around has been reclaimed and developed. The lane is now a main commuter route to and from the dormitory areas to the west and the industrial; commercial areas to the east. It also connects with two nearby major feeder routes to the motorway network. The church where the memorial is sited has recently come under private ownership and, while the current owner is happy to look after the memorial, the feeling was that the local community would prefer the memorial to be on public land.
The new three-quarter acre site will be in the centre of the enlarged Village and will allow services to be held for a reasonable number of people in safety, unlike the present site. The project will facilitate the reinstatement of the memorial as part of the community. The project will also allow for repairs and refurbishment to the memorial and allow the community to take pride in it once more.
Pupils from the local secondary school, High Arcal, are researching the War Memorial and some of the names on it and, with the help of the grant will hold a public event to share their results with the community. A professional archaeologist, funded by the grant, will help them with their research. There will also be a celebration and commemoration event. The research and event part of the project will re-connect the community with the memorial and help make the soldiers and their sacrifice more real and remembered.
The intended outcomes are a War Memorial that is accessible to all, is part of the local community and is in a big enough space to allow the community to safely hold remembrance service.
The research part of the project will teach pupils transferable skills such as researching techniques and presentation skills, create links between older and younger generations as the pupils are helped in their research by members of the local community and raise the awareness of pupils and local people of the sacrifices and stories of the people involved in the war.
Click here to read more about the project in our recent Express & Star news feature