Surrey Heritage brings together Surrey County Council's expertise in caring for and promoting our county's rich past.

Through the county's archaeology, historic buildings, museums, archives and artefacts we can help you to learn more about Surrey's rich and varied history.  By increasing accessibility to our collections and providing a diverse range of learning opportunities across the county we ensure that no one is excluded.  You will see us attending a whole host of events ranging from the Woking Mela and Eid celebrations, to Gypsy Roma Traveller History Month celebrations.

Here is a taste of our recent work.

Volunteers

Volunteers of all ages and abilities help Surrey Heritage make our collections more accessible and our projects a success.



89-year old Sid Richardson, has volunteered with us for five years and recently won the Surrey County Council Award for Volunteering.  As a Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers veteran his knowledge of the Middle East helped catalogue over 70 photograph albums of the Surrey regiments.

Diverse collections at Surrey History Centre

People have moved to Surrey from all over the UK and throughout the world and we want to record and celebrate their cultures and their contribution to Surrey communities.  We encourage as wide a range of people as possible to use our services and deposit material in the archives. This makes our collections more relevant to our users and reflects Surrey's long-standing cultural diversity.

Gay Surrey committee members at the charity's AGM, held at Surrey History Centre in April this year.  This new and exciting partnership will see Surrey's first LGBT History Month held at the Centre in February 2010. Click here for more information about Gay Surrey's archives and click here for more information on LGBT History Month.

The Ockenden Story - Woking's Refugee History brought to life.

A grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund is enabling us to catalogue and make accessible the extensive archive of the Woking refugee charity Ockenden International, founded in 1951.  The charity helped refugees from around the world, including boat people escaping from Vietnam and Tibetans fleeing oppression.  In addition, in 2010, the inspiring history of Ockenden will be dramatized in a specially written play by our partners The Woking Community Play Association, which will bring together local people of all ages and backgrounds.

Several important deposits relating to Surrey's Muslim community have been placed permanently with us. These include papers relating to Woking's Shah Jahan Mosque (the first purpose-built mosque in Europe, built in 1889) and works published by The Woking Muslim Mission and Literary Trust spanning over 70 years, including The Islamic Review.

Improving access to heritage

Surrey Heritage attends many community events to encourage people to investigate and value their heritage.

We have recently organised a tactile book competition to encourage heritage organisations to consider their access for the visually impaired.

Here are some of the entries, tactile storybooks for visually impaired children aged 3-12. The books have been made at museums across Surrey in workshops with visually impaired children and families local to the museum.






This year’s Gypsy Roma Traveller History Month celebrations were held at Bourne Hall, Ewell providing the public with a chance to find out more about this rich culture which has been part of Surrey for many years.










Eid Festival 2008
Surrey Heritage staff at the vibrant and successful Eid celebrations in Woking town centre.




A generous grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund has allowed us to not only catalogue four centuries of archives of the Surrey Regiments but also record for posterity the experiences of its veterans. Video and oral histories of those who participated are now available online.

Providing learning opportunities

Surrey Heritage provides free family activities and organises a range of events throughout the year. We also endeavour to work with schools and youth groups to build strong partnerships and work in creative ways to make heritage relevant to today’s society.

Surrey Heritage provides free art and craft activities throughout the school holidays to encourage families and children to have fun learning about history.
Children at the Tudor Fun and Games activities February half term 2009.















Children enjoying the Pirate activities during the Summer holidays 2009.






Surrey Heritage worked with Peer Productions, a youth based peer theatre group, to delve into the archives of Brookwood Asylum and create a play performed in secondary schools exploring issues of stigma and prejudice surrounding mental health.

Community Archaeology in Surrey

Surrey Heritage’s Heritage Lottery Funded Community Archaeology project provides learning opportunities and hands-on experiences to help a wide and diverse range of people to discover more about their local history.


Members of Surrey Youth Justice helping to excavate the footprint of a demolished stately home at High Ashurst, near Dorking.

Community Digs

Working together with local societies and universities helps provide the chance for local people to take part in a real dig, such as a Tudor Palace in Woking and a Roman site at Hatch Furlong Ewell.

Weelchair user working alongside other volunteers on site at Hatch Furlong.












Adults with learning difficulties from the Cranstock Group excavating at Woking Palace

Community Archaeology Projects

Specific projects local to a particular area are helping local people discover archaeology on your doorstep, including projects in some of Surrey most deprived areas.  




Preston Community Archaeology Project works with a local group to archive the results of a dig from 1952, before the estate was built. Here, the Preston Community Archaeology Group sort archaeological finds and site records.

 





Merstham Community Archaeology Project works with several local groups to design an interpretation board for the site of Albury Manor, a moated medieval manor. Here, the Merstham WEA group are researching the site of Albury Manor in the social club.








Merstham Youth Forum combining learning and fun whilst finding out about Medieval Life through costume & feasting!

Your Heritage - Find out and get involved!

If you are interested in any aspect of Surrey Heritage's work and would like to know more, whether for leisure or research purposes, we would be delighted to hear from you.  Further details can be found on our website http://www.surreycc.gov.uk/surreyheritage or please contact 01483 518737.

Click here to learn more about the Together in Surrey programme of events.



 

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