Tolpuddle Old Chapel Trust was set up in 2014 as a renovation project to save the old Methodist Chapel that was built in 1818 in Tolpuddle by some of the men who later became known as the Tolpuddle Martyrs. The Chapel was listed as a Grade II* building at risk. Following extensive building works and delays caused by Covid19 the Chapel’s ‘at risk’ status was removed and it opened its doors to the public in September 2023. It is now a heritage site for visitors and an amenity for local people, hosting craft workshops, talks, events and the occasional concert.
In November 2023, the Trust made a successful bid to be part of Historic England’s national project, ‘Everyday Heritage: Celebrating Working-Class Histories’ and as a result will be running a programme under the title, ‘Tolpuddle Family Lives: A People’s Heritage’. This is a series of events and activities through which participants will be able to imagine the past as experienced by the Dorset rural working-class, those who laboured in the cottages and on the land who were in the 19th century among the very poorest working people in the country.
The project will seek to uncover largely overlooked parts of the Tolpuddle story, the so-called mundane details of everyday family life – how people survived from day to day – with a particular focus on women and children. It will collect evidence from a wide variety of sources, and explore creative ways of bringing the past to life. Activities will also include celebrating the skills and cultures of rural labourers through craft workshops, concerts and related events. A key element of this programme is ‘co-creation’ – participants will be offered opportunities to influence the direction and the delivery of the project which is planned to run from April to October, 2024. The Trust is delighted to be part of this exciting and important national programme run by Historic England, and we look forward to welcoming anyone who is interested in participating. No prior experience of, or expertise in, local history is required.
Further details are available at: https://tolpuddleoldchapeltrust.org/
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This was a guest blog written for DHC by Philip Martin. Phillip is Chair of the Tolpuddle Old Chapel Trust. If you would like to write a guest blog please get in touch with us: archives@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk.