Category Archives: Heritage Survey

Final chance to play part in ‘Our Lincolnshire’ heritage survey

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The ‘Our Lincolnshire’ online survey which is investigating the heritage of Lincolnshire will close at the end of the month.

Our Lincolnshire Survey PosterSo far the survey has attracted over 600 responses triggering a variety of views and stories.

Carenza LewisThe Arts Council England funded project is led by Carenza Lewis, Professor for the Public Understanding of Research at the University of Lincoln.

Professor Lewis said: “I have found it fascinating finding out about Lincolnshire’s heritage from people across the county.

“We’ve had a range of views, covering some classic Lincolnshire heritage themes like aviation and the RAF, Lincolnshire’s rural and agricultural past, and famous and much-loved sites like the Cathedral and the Castle in Lincoln.

“People have also shared their memories of Lincolnshire – and while some stories are common to Lincolnshire, others stand out, like the rambler who enjoys sheltering in dry church porches with a flask of tea. I also now know how to count to 20 in shepherd’s dialect!”

Professor Lewis said the initial results showed that Lincolnshire people have a strong sense of heritage related to local traditions.

The questionnaire is available online at www.research.net/r/ourlincolnshire and takes about 15 minutes. Different versions are available for under-10s and 11-17 year-olds.

We have also developed a web app, called MyLincolnshireCollection.org which asks users to pick their 10 favourite heritage objects from a range of 100 images.

My Lincolnshire Collection PosterSo far the statue of the Jolly Fisherman at Skegness and a brooch featuring the Lincoln Imp are joint top for the most frequently selected object.Lincoln Imp Brooch & Jolly Fisherman Poster

 

Did you get April Fooled?!

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Today, the first day of April, is famous for being a day for getting caught out – did you fall for an April Fool joke?

The Lincolnshire Echo had fun with a story about a new waterslide coming out of the Waterside Centre… and reported another first for April 1st (but this time not a joke): the first anniversary of the re-opening of Lincoln Castle.

Lincoln Castle

Lincoln Castle (by DncnH CC BY 2.0)

Lincolnshire County Council held a first birthday party at the Castle, which was re-opened last year following a £22m refurbishment. Apparently, King John was even in attendance, just in time for the birthday cake.

Birthday cake sounds much tastier than what was on offer for some children in Louth on April Fool’s Day in days gone by. In Folklore of Lincolnshire, Susanna O’Neil recounts a story (from Widdowson) of how one lady remembered that, as a child,

“We always got a small piece of coal wrapped in a toffee paper in our lunch. Believe me, we should have been very disappointed if it had not been there!”

The joke was on you though if you played a trick in the afternoon – unless you played your trick in the morning then you might have been rebuked with:

“April Fool’s Day passed and gone and you’re the fool for making me one!”

Hopefully you’ve had fun today. If you have any memories about April Fool’s Days gone by in Lincolnshire, or any other memories about tales of Lincolnshire more generally, you can still take part in our survey, where you can let us know what you think about heritage – which includes our stories about the past, memories, and folklore.

Have you been exploring heritage this Easter weekend?

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If you’ve been out and about in the county this weekend, you might have had the chance to explore some heritage. Maybe you’ve visited a historic site or a museum, or perhaps you’ve been on a long walk and seen something that’s made you think about the past – some old airfields perhaps, some beach huts, a canal, or an old railway line…

Is this #heritage? Sign reads: Ancient Wall No Ball GamesWhat is #heritage? Heritage art along the Riverside Walk in GainsboroughWhat is #heritage? The entrance to Gainsborough Public Library.

We’d love to hear what you think about heritage – what you think ‘heritage’ is, and how important it is to you. Your views can help inform ways in which heritage is recognised, cared for and shared, both now and in the future across the county.

The ‘Our Lincolnshire’ heritage survey is still open, but not for too much longer – so if you have some spare time left this weekend, please do contribute your views. We want to hear from people across the county, and from all walks of life.

If you know any children who might be willing to take part, we’re really interested in hearing from them too – the questionnaire has three versions, and is available in different formats for the under 10s, for 11 to 17 year olds, and for the over 18s.

The survey is available here: www.research.net/r/ourlincolnshire

Have a go, then pass it on!

Is this #heritage? Monumental plaques outside Gainsborough Public Library.Is this #heritage? A civic flower display in Gainsborough.What is #heritage? Lea woods, near Gainsborough

Lincolnshire heritage on Facebook

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One of the richest sources for Lincolnshire history and heritage online has to be on the group pages that can be found on Facebook.

There are so many interesting pages dedicated to places all over Lincolnshire, some which focus on specific villages or Lincolnshire’s historic towns, some provide pages to share memories and stories, and others are dedicated to old photos.

The pages are popular, and filled with enthusiasm for knowing and sharing more about the past in relation to Lincolnshire.

‘Our Lincolnshire’ is on Facebook, and we’ve found it really interesting sharing in the many stories and memories of Lincolnshire that are posted there.

Here are a few groups we’ve come across:

Lincolnshire History Group Links

Brigg Heritage Centre

Barton upon Humber and Surrounding Villages Memories

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These are public groups, but there are many more closed groups out there, which you can request to join. Many of these relate to specific places or areas, and some are about themes that reflect Lincolnshire heritage more widely, like aviation history.

If you belong to a Lincolnshire group on Facebook, please do share a link to Our Lincolnshire, and tell other members in the group how they can tell us their views on heritage through our survey.

Heritage survey available in libraries across Lincolnshire

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The ‘Our Lincolnshire’ heritage survey is available in paper format at libraries across Lincolnshire and in the Lincoln Archives.

If you, or someone you know, prefers filling out a paper form, call in to your local library for a copy.

Completed forms can be returned to the libraries, where they will be sent back to the Our Lincolnshire project team. We’d like to say a big thank you to the library staff who have offered to help make the paper questionnaires available.

If you know of a community group or organisation who would like to have a set of paper copies to fill out contact Anna Scott.

The survey is open to all ages and is available in three formats: for the over 18s, for 11-17 year olds, and for the under 11s – we’d be keen to hear from youth groups for example who may not have internet access for their sessions but who would still like to take part.

The online form is also available – there’s still time to give us your thoughts on heritage in Lincolnshire, and what heritage is important to you.

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