Dronfield Heritage Trust was delighted to receive a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, to create a commemorative exhibition at the Barn to mark the centenary of the end of World War 1.
Our vision is for this exhibition to be an inclusive and interactive space where people can come to remember and to learn about all those who made the ultimate sacrifice, and to allow visitors to share their own stories and experiences. We are working on a limited edition booklet will accompany the exhibition alongside special events.
There is huge interest within the community to commemorate the centenary. The volunteers from our research group have already discovered a large amount of information, specifically on the people who are named on the Dronfield War Memorial. Linking key events with the people from the area and events on the home front has been a key area of research, and we will reveal and gather the heritage of Dronfield’s experience of war in this unique exhibition.
The theme is of ‘Untold Stories’ and will focus on the lesser known stories and aspects on the homefront – areas that visitors may not know about. Artefacts from the war will be displayed, along with information panels and an interactive feature. We hope this will leave you feeling that you have learnt something new from the exhibition, will want to know more and maybe contribute stories of family members, building on our archive for the future.
We will also be working closely with school children from several Dronfield schools on this project. They will have the chance to look around the exhibition and take part in a research workshop with our volunteers, giving them an understanding and appreciation for the centenary event and how the War impacted on Dronfield. It will also tie in with their Local History module which they complete in Year 4. The students will be able to continue volunteering with the Trust on other projects in future, providing valuable experience for their CVs.
Look out for further details of what we have planned as we begin to prepare for the launch of the exhibition in November. Are you interested in contributing to this project, or do you have something that you think should be a part of it? If so, contact Maria on dronfieldheritagetrust@outlook.com.
