Project Celebration!
In July 2009 we received the £324,500 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund for a 3-year project to upgrade and enhance the Parish Churchyard of St John-at-Hampstead.
With financial help from HLF we were able to restore a total of 98 listed and non-listed gravestones including those of Joanna Baillie – a famous 18th century playwright and John Constable – the worldwide celebrated English landscape painter.
Other restoration work included repairs to the boundary walls and to the grade II listed Columbarium building. 420 metres of new paths were laid to improve access to the site.
Schools
We have been running a successful educational programme for the primary schools. We currently offer a variety of sessions contributing to the National Curriculum; subjects include History, Geography and Science. There is still an opportunity to book a free session with a project officer until June 2012. An easy to use resource pack for teachers will be ready to download from our website before June this year: www.heritage.hampsteadparishchurch.org.uk
We have engaged over a 1000 school children to date. Students from the Hampstead Parochial School have helped to plant sensory gardens and to build Bug Hotels.
Sound trail
We are creating an online audio tour of the churchyard, which will include contributions from experts e.g. Jane Austen Society and National Maritime Museum, also from family and friends of some of those who have been buried in the churchyard over the past three centuries. This will be accompanied by maps, photographs and illustrations.
Interpretation boards
6 small interpretation boards providing information on history and wildlife of the site will be installed before June this year.
Wildlife conservation
Regular conservation sessions take place in the churchyard. The site is designated a Borough Grade I Site of Importance for Nature Conservation by the London Borough of Camden. The churchyard is an excellent place for wildlife. It provides a refuge for many different species of plants and animals including bats, birds and a variety of invertebrates.
As well as managing the site for its historical value we are working on preserving its habitats.
A ‘Hampstead Green Gym’ group have been founded to help with the wildlife conservation and maintenance work of the site after the funding finishes. The group is volunteer-led by trained leaders. The regular sessions take place each Friday, from 11am to 2pm. Each session starts with a warm up exercise to reduce the risk of injuries and is designed to give your body and mind a thorough work out in the great outdoors – without a dumbbell or rowing machine in sight. The tasks vary from gardening and litter picking to footpath repairing.
This great opportunity is for those who fancy spending more time outdoors or improving their CV.
Volunteers
Nearly 200 different volunteers have contributed to the successful running of the project helping with:
1) Wildlife conservation e.g. Green Gym, local volunteers, LWT Budding Together group, Get Out There group etc.
2) Wildlife surveys – volunteers carry out wildlife surveys including churchyard flora, bats, moths, birds and invertebrates
3) Historical research – volunteers have been collating historical information about people buried in the churchyard. This has been used to develop a guided walk and for the Sound Trail
4) History guided walks – volunteer guides conduct the monthly walks around the old churchyard exploring the Georgian society and its attitudes to life and death.
5) Wildlife events – volunteers helped to deliver a variety of wildlife events including Bat Walks, Bumblebee workshops and Moss ID sessions.
Open Day
We would like to invite you to join us in celebrating the achievements of the project so far at our Open Day on the 26th March – to learn more about the project and to take part in a variety of interesting activities.
Outdoor Programme
11.00am History Guided Walk – old churchyard
12.00-3.00pm Green Gym – planting a memorial garden -additional burial ground
3-4.00pm ‘Spring Flora’ guided walk – old churchyard and additional burial ground
The Indoor afternoon programme will include
2-4pm Project Displays and refreshments – history and wildlife, volunteer work, playing some soundtracks from the Sound Trail – Crypt room
2.30.-3.30 Churchyard Moths –check what was caught with a moth trap the night before and watch a short presentation – Crypt room
2.4pm Activities for Children – nature trails treasure hunts arts and crafts etc. – churchyards and Crypt room
All events are free of charge – please check posters for timing of the Crypt sessions.
Honia Devlin
Life and Death at the Hampstead Parish Churchyard