Last weekend was the Hidden Heritage Launch Weekend at Whitsand Bay
Fort and I can't imagine a more festive atmosphere. Nearly 650 people turned up over the two days and it's not the easiest place to get to, out on the Rame Peninsula near Millbrook, and the Torpoint Ferries running slow that weekend. Many caught the bus and managed the walk from the main road, one man on crutches still with a smile on his face. Yes the weather turned bad on the Sunday afternoon, but the wonderful volunteer at the overflow car park was full of good humour, shivering in his high visibility vest and sharing jokes with visitors.
And volunteer is the word for the weekend - this was a festival of volunteers with one shared interest: history. In all its shapes and forms and costumes.
Prince Maurice's Regiment from The Sealed Knot made a wonderful display at the fort, recreating an English Civil War camp with muskets and pikes and authentic crafts of the period, followed by a terrific talk by the Regiment’s
Christopher Thomas and Philip Photiou, author of Plymouth’s Forgotten War. (One of my favourite local books!)
Meanwhile a WW2 warden screamed a warning that we all had to get to the shelters, and head off for to experience the horrors of an air raid shelter. He was so good at his job, I was actually scared. Perhaps his whistle
was the wrong colour for the period, but this was all good fun, and a terrific feature of the weekend.
As tours of the amazing fort continued, Napoleonic soldiers wandered the grounds in full regalia. I asked them where they were from and discovered they hadn’t come far; these lads were from a local group who travelled the country to take part in historical reinactments. Astonished I’ve not seen them before! But I hope they can do more local Napoleonic events in future. It's an era that fascinates me, and is a big part of Plymouth's history.
Visitors learned more about the wrecks around Plymouth, from The Ships Project, and the Polish Navy in Plymouth in WW2 from Martin Hazell of the South West Maritime History Society (www.swmaritime.org.uk ), who also gave a great talk demonstrating the bravery of these refugees in Plymouth. I’m looking forward to reading Martin’s book, “Poles
Apart”. But I’ve also got to get through David J B Smith’s terrific book about a WW2 submarine “Being Silent,
They Speak”. For a self-published author, I think David won the award for best promotional material. If you don't believe me, see for yourself: (www.unbeatenblog.weebly.com )
Amongst the myriad stalls and models and artefacts, I had a wonderful opportunity to see again the display by RAF Harrowbeer (www.rafharrowbeer.co.uk ). I’d visited their airfield near Yelverton in August – a terrific show of aircraft and authentic vehicles, along with costumed guides. Their collection of photographs is a must-see, and I do hope they manage to get a permanent display on somewhere, though money as always is an issue and they will have trouble putting on future events if they don’t get more donations. Non-profit organisations are struggling in the current climate, but I’m one that firmly believes that history must not only be preserved but exhibited in a way that attracts future generations to know their past.
And what about those future generations? Well, there were plenty of kids at the Hidden Heritage launch and they seemed to be enjoying themselves. I noticed a good cluster of them around the owls – yes, real owls on display –
each child in turn tentatively holding a patient bird, little fingers gently touching the feathers, a mix of fear and wonder. They were braver than me.
There was a bouncy castle, but I think the kids were too busy looking at other displays and exploring the fort to bother going on it. I noticed a number of the adult volunteers having a go instead, squealing as their high visibility jackets flapped in their faces. If asked, they will deny squealing, but I was there. I heard squealing.
Plymouth has put in a bid to renovate the existing Museum at North Hill and create a more interactive History Centre. I was hoping they would visit the Hidden Heritage event to get some ideas – I did invite them, but they didn’t even bother to reply. Here was an event that had so much to offer, in such a family-friendly atmosphere – with great live music on both days! - I can’t actually list it all here. More people visited Hidden Heritage in two days, making the trek to Whitsand, than have visited the Museum all summer. But the Museum managers couldn’t be bothered to show up and say hello. This is relegated “just to the volunteers” it seems. They could have had a stall and advertised their plans for the Plymouth History Centre. Their loss.
And that was the only sad note of the weekend – Steve Johnson from Cyberheritage (http://www.cyber-heritage.co.uk )has been battling for decades to get more history exhibitions in the region, to get more support for local history, to promote the region and its incredible past. But it’s up to volunteers to keep it going. This blog entry might just seem like a plug for all my history-loving mates, but I assure you, it’s the volunteers in our community right now who are saving our economy, and offering it a better future.
To the organisers of Hidden Heritage – Paul and Lisa Diamond, who do all this in their spare time and out of their own pocket, I say congratulations. It was wonderful. Like a village fete with time travelling and a castle all in one. Good luck with the plans for a Living History Museum. I know it will succeed.
And keep an eye on their fledgling website for more news of the project: www.hiddenheritage.org
It’s going to be great.
Fort and I can't imagine a more festive atmosphere. Nearly 650 people turned up over the two days and it's not the easiest place to get to, out on the Rame Peninsula near Millbrook, and the Torpoint Ferries running slow that weekend. Many caught the bus and managed the walk from the main road, one man on crutches still with a smile on his face. Yes the weather turned bad on the Sunday afternoon, but the wonderful volunteer at the overflow car park was full of good humour, shivering in his high visibility vest and sharing jokes with visitors.
And volunteer is the word for the weekend - this was a festival of volunteers with one shared interest: history. In all its shapes and forms and costumes.
Prince Maurice's Regiment from The Sealed Knot made a wonderful display at the fort, recreating an English Civil War camp with muskets and pikes and authentic crafts of the period, followed by a terrific talk by the Regiment’s
Christopher Thomas and Philip Photiou, author of Plymouth’s Forgotten War. (One of my favourite local books!)
Meanwhile a WW2 warden screamed a warning that we all had to get to the shelters, and head off for to experience the horrors of an air raid shelter. He was so good at his job, I was actually scared. Perhaps his whistle
was the wrong colour for the period, but this was all good fun, and a terrific feature of the weekend.
As tours of the amazing fort continued, Napoleonic soldiers wandered the grounds in full regalia. I asked them where they were from and discovered they hadn’t come far; these lads were from a local group who travelled the country to take part in historical reinactments. Astonished I’ve not seen them before! But I hope they can do more local Napoleonic events in future. It's an era that fascinates me, and is a big part of Plymouth's history.
Visitors learned more about the wrecks around Plymouth, from The Ships Project, and the Polish Navy in Plymouth in WW2 from Martin Hazell of the South West Maritime History Society (www.swmaritime.org.uk ), who also gave a great talk demonstrating the bravery of these refugees in Plymouth. I’m looking forward to reading Martin’s book, “Poles
Apart”. But I’ve also got to get through David J B Smith’s terrific book about a WW2 submarine “Being Silent,
They Speak”. For a self-published author, I think David won the award for best promotional material. If you don't believe me, see for yourself: (www.unbeatenblog.weebly.com )
Amongst the myriad stalls and models and artefacts, I had a wonderful opportunity to see again the display by RAF Harrowbeer (www.rafharrowbeer.co.uk ). I’d visited their airfield near Yelverton in August – a terrific show of aircraft and authentic vehicles, along with costumed guides. Their collection of photographs is a must-see, and I do hope they manage to get a permanent display on somewhere, though money as always is an issue and they will have trouble putting on future events if they don’t get more donations. Non-profit organisations are struggling in the current climate, but I’m one that firmly believes that history must not only be preserved but exhibited in a way that attracts future generations to know their past.
And what about those future generations? Well, there were plenty of kids at the Hidden Heritage launch and they seemed to be enjoying themselves. I noticed a good cluster of them around the owls – yes, real owls on display –
each child in turn tentatively holding a patient bird, little fingers gently touching the feathers, a mix of fear and wonder. They were braver than me.
There was a bouncy castle, but I think the kids were too busy looking at other displays and exploring the fort to bother going on it. I noticed a number of the adult volunteers having a go instead, squealing as their high visibility jackets flapped in their faces. If asked, they will deny squealing, but I was there. I heard squealing.
Plymouth has put in a bid to renovate the existing Museum at North Hill and create a more interactive History Centre. I was hoping they would visit the Hidden Heritage event to get some ideas – I did invite them, but they didn’t even bother to reply. Here was an event that had so much to offer, in such a family-friendly atmosphere – with great live music on both days! - I can’t actually list it all here. More people visited Hidden Heritage in two days, making the trek to Whitsand, than have visited the Museum all summer. But the Museum managers couldn’t be bothered to show up and say hello. This is relegated “just to the volunteers” it seems. They could have had a stall and advertised their plans for the Plymouth History Centre. Their loss.
And that was the only sad note of the weekend – Steve Johnson from Cyberheritage (http://www.cyber-heritage.co.uk )has been battling for decades to get more history exhibitions in the region, to get more support for local history, to promote the region and its incredible past. But it’s up to volunteers to keep it going. This blog entry might just seem like a plug for all my history-loving mates, but I assure you, it’s the volunteers in our community right now who are saving our economy, and offering it a better future.
To the organisers of Hidden Heritage – Paul and Lisa Diamond, who do all this in their spare time and out of their own pocket, I say congratulations. It was wonderful. Like a village fete with time travelling and a castle all in one. Good luck with the plans for a Living History Museum. I know it will succeed.
And keep an eye on their fledgling website for more news of the project: www.hiddenheritage.org
It’s going to be great.