 |
|
|
|
|
Fishbourne the Book
Location: West Sussex
Fishbourne is situated two miles west of Chichester and contains the site of Fishbourne Roman Palace. The village, which dates from before the Norman Conquest, has grown rapidly in recent years with many new housing developments.
The determination dating from the sixties that Fishbourne should have its own playing field gave rise to a strong community spirit, which this project will build on. For newcomers and established residents it is important to foster the idea of Fishbourne as a community, distinct from its nearby cathedral city and more than simply a dormitory area.
In this project we aim to record people’s memories of the changes that have taken place in Fishbourne in recent years. Some memories will go back over 75 years and more. Others will be more recent. We also aim to preserve photographs of the village and its activities which might otherwise be lost over time. Many village groups and societies, including members of the WI, the Playing Field Association, the Gardeners Club and FiRST, Fishbourne Residents Support Team, to name but a few, are involved.
The results will be collected together in “Fishbourne – The Book” and in the Fishbourne Archive of Photos, to be gifted to the West Sussex County Record Office, Chichester, for future public use. Highlights of the project will be the Reminiscences Events for recording oral histories, and Photo Scanning Days, when residents will be able to scan their photographs, to make them available for the Photo Archive, and record details of where they were taken and when.
Relevant ones will be used to illustrate the book of reminiscences. The children of Fishbourne CE Primary School will be actively involved in interviewing and gathering the information. Research done during the project will be used to develop local history curriculum teaching materials in the school. To ensure the highest quality of outputs, training will be provided in the use of the various recording methods and equipment, and the group will call on expertise from University College, Chichester, and the University of Portsmouth for advice on methodology.
“Fishbourne – the Book” and the Archive of Photos, together with the curriculum materials, will be a fitting development of past local history work in the village, for example: by WI members in the fifties and sixties (stored in three large format books in the Record Office); a village history, “The History of Fishbourne” by Rita Blakeney, published in the eighties; a village video, circulated in the nineties; and the Millennium embroidery by the WI, now lodged in the Roman Palace Museum.
Mary Hand (Book Editor)
Group Name |
|
Fishbourne Parish Council |
| Project Postcode |
|
PO19 3JW |
| Grants: |
Heritage Lottery Fund: £19435
|
|
|
|
|
