Time team strikes gold (From St Helens Star)
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Rainford village 'Time Team' strikes gold after Lottery windfall of £75,000
10:19am Thursday 21st February 2013 in News
Project officer Sam Rowe excavating a pottery kiln dump in Rainford, 2011
A VILLAGE’S quest to dig its ancient roots has just struck gold!
Merseyside Archaeological Society (MAS) has received a grant of £75,100 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for a new project called Rainford’s Roots.
Led by the society, with professional support from National Museums Liverpool, the project will investigate the heritage of Rainford village, focusing on its history as a potting and clay tobacco pipe cottage industry.
The project has been designed very much with the local community in mind. The industrial history of Rainford will be investigated through various means of fieldwork, documentary research, and artefact analysis.
The project will endeavour to encourage and promote community participation, providing training, outreach programmes, and opportunities for local people and volunteers to get involved with all aspects of the project.
Rainford was at the heart of a clay tobacco pipe and pottery industry from the 17th to the 20th centuries, with products produced in Rainford being traded in Britain and Europe.
Previously, few opportunities have been available for local people to become involved in the archaeological investigation of the village, but now Rainford’s Roots hopes to change this, and encourage people to join in and gain a greater understanding of the history of the village.
Tiffany Hunt, who has just been appointed as new chairman of the Heritage Lottery Fund North West Committee, said: “We at the Heritage Lottery Fund are delighted to be supporting this project which will provide excellent opportunities for local people to explore the history of their village.
“By taking part in the archaeological fieldwork, research and artefact analysis, people will not only expand their knowledge and learn new skills, but also help create a unique record of the area’s long pottery and clay pipe heritage for others to learn about and enjoy.”
