The land that crime forgot

Having spent a few sunny days  in the Isles of Scilly (that’s right, with no rain!) I can claim to have had a new “heritage experience”. It is the first time I have stayed in a Tudor castle! The Star Castle was converted to a hotel in the 1930s and stands in a fittingly dominant position on St.Mary’s, the largest of the five populated islands. Staying there has the effect of immersing you in a fabulously historic atmosphere. The granite lintel above the entrance gate (complete with portcullis), reminds you that the castle was built during the reign of Elizabeth I in 1593 –the sovereign’s mark and date still discernible after almost over 420 years.


The castle’s owners and their staff take much pride in the building and the minimal alteration of the original interior adds to the strong sense of history. Adjoining the castle is a C18 garrison with extensive fortifications, again in granite, the mica fragments of the stone shining like tiny jewels in the sunshine. If you didn’t know otherwise, the blocks look as though they were put in place just yesterday, despite the many years of Atlantic storms they have witnessed. Such is the strength and durability of this particular material.

The Star Castle, St Mary's, Isles of Scilly

The Scillies are renowned for their mild climate and the exotic plant life suited to it. The islands are known locally as “the land that crime forgot” and it’s not uncommon to see occasional cycles left unlocked against a hedge or shop by their owners, confident that they will still be there on their return. Obvious too is the total lack of casual vandalism and dropped litter. This has clear advantages for the continued preservation of the islands’ heritage sites. For example, the garrison defences are necessarily situated in a remote location yet no one has defaced or damaged them in any way. Similarly the ancient Bronze age burial sites are in as perfect condition as can be imagined. 

A Bronze age burial site, Isles of Scilly

In last month’s blog I remarked that there seemed to have been a lull in the media reporting of metal thefts from heritage sites. Returning to the mainland from the Scilly Isles  a few days later, it didn’t take long for a newspaper article to emerge that made me despair once more. I evidently spoke too soon. Surely war memorials and the more personal tributes commemorating loved ones qualify as examples of our heritage? Following a terrorist bombing of Warrington, Lancashire in 1993, parents of two children killed in the blast erected a plaque in their memory (as well as founding a Trust for a better understanding between  UK and Irish cultures).This week, thieves stole the plaque, prompting the police to comment that as scrap value, the metal would be worth no more than £30. “Times must be very hard” for some at the moment, I later reflected..


Always aiming to balance my blogs with more positive experiences, I can report that I was fortunate to attend another one of the highly informative GROW courses at Heckington during April. As usual, the course was offered through the Heritage Trust of Lincolnshire and the subject this time was the architecture of the Medieval church and its evolution through history. The course was very well presented ( and attended) and avoided the use of technical terms as much as possible. As with any good quality learning I was able to employ my new knowledge when I was next out and about surveying buildings. I found myself instinctively looking for the tell-tale architectural details on local churches that can often accurately identify the period when changes to the buildings were made. So once again, thanks to the Trust for providing another great course!  

Colin, Heritage Steward

Winter: a challenging time for completing surveys!

It’s my guess that the number of surveys for the LHAR project at this time of year is relatively low due to the uninviting weather conditions. I managed to complete quite a few during the milder weather during January but the recent snowfall and freezing temperatures have caused me to come to a halt for the time being! An interesting distraction recently (still with a heritage theme) was for me to attend a day of lectures about Sempringham Abbey at Billingborough, on St Gilbert’s Day, February 4^th. An informative poster display was sited in the village hall and because the outside temperature that day was -6C, the warm room and hot drinks on offer there were very welcome! As the lectures were presented in the nave of St Andrew’s church, Billingborough, it was just as well that most people had dressed in sensible winter clothing! Three interesting aspects of Sempringham Abbey and Saint Gilbert were given: the establishing of the abbey and the early years of its development, a report of archaeological finds at the abbey from different periods of history and a comprehensive account of Saint Gilbert as a sanctified individual and pioneering theologian.

Those who have visited my blog before will know of my on-going concerns regarding the theft of valuable metals from churches and other heritage sites. The topic continues to be regularly reported in the media. The latest example I noticed was a newspaper piece reporting that a section of lead guttering and a rainwater hopper had been ripped from a C16 building near Stratford (Halls Croft in Stratford upon Avon and is Jacobean but the rainwater goods stolen were early C18). 

The building has Shakespearian connections. In a television report, a Yorkshire scrap dealer had suffered theft of copper and other valuable metals from his own business premises. I understand that, as of next month, dealers in scrap metal will be required to make payment to customers via bank accounts rather than, as is often the case at present, “cash in hand”. Let’s hope that this measure will at least serve to discourage those who regard it as perfectly acceptable to rob churches of valuable items and be quickly remunerated for their efforts.

According to the latest LHAR newsletter just under 5,000 heritage sites now remain to be surveyed. I find the fact that so many have already been completed to be a remarkable achievement by committed volunteers. In this, the final year of LHAR, I wonder what will become of the sizeable volunteer “force” once the project is completed? I would like to think that, having demonstrated their worth in assisting with the project, perhaps some continued use of their potential could be found by the Lincolnshire Heritage Trust in the future. 


Colin, Heritage Steward

Remaining Vigilant: Heritage sites

I wonder if it’s usual that as a blogger, one sometimes experiences the equivalent to writer's block? In the last few days I’ve had something resembling it! I put this down to that of late I haven’t been able to complete as many surveys as I would have liked. The surveys often provide the "raw material" on which I base my monthly blog, as regular readers will have noticed. Looking to the media for some inspiration, thank goodness, it didn’t take long for a heritage-linked topic to emerge!

No one can have missed the recent reporting of the theft of copper and other valuable metals in the newspapers and on TV. This week, the local BBC news featured a story in Lincolnshire where thieves had gone to a secluded area near the A57 road and stolen a substantial amount of copper insulation cabling from the overhead power lines, leaving a nearby marina complex without power for several hours. The obvious danger to life (a reported 11,000 volts runs through these lines!) was clearly regarded as an acceptable risk to those responsible, to say nothing of the lesser, yet significant risk to the livelihoods of the businesses affected. The story reminded me of one of the last surveys I did. In recent months the Lincolnshire Heritage at Risk team have been keen to complete the “Places of Worship” surveys by the end of September. I had just 3 churches left to survey on my list and set out to finish them one afternoon.

Arriving at the last of these churches, I followed my now established routine of walking 360° around the building. I have found that by doing this, the more obvious structural problems are revealed at a glance. I then go around once more, looking more closely before going if possible, to take a look at the church’s interior. I have found that good first impressions of a site are often an accurate indication of how well a property is managed and maintained and this particular church showed several of those signs (for example, the churchyard was neatly kept, the churchyard gate and fencing had recently been given a coat of preservative, and a welcoming message was pinned to the notice-board in the porch!) A separate message invited visitors who wished to view the church’s interior to call at an address in the village to collect a key. This I did and had the pleasure of meeting the church warden who was very informative about the church’s history and was interested to hear about the LHAR project. During our stroll back to the church, the warden asked, quite unexpectedly, "Of course, you’ll have seen the damage to the roof?" Incidentally, to those of you reading this who are Volunteer Heritage Stewards, have you ever seriously doubted your own credibility to properly survey a building? I have to confess, I did on that day! How could I have missed something so obvious as missing lead-work on a roof? Reassuringly, when the damage was pointed out to me I realised that the oversight was an easy one to have made as the stone work and parapets etc largely concealed the damage when viewed from ground level.

Apparently the thefts had taken place over a period of several months, a small section at a time. Firstly, the whole of the lead roofing and guttering from the south porch had been taken. On a second visit, the thieves had shown more effrontery by stripping a large section of the north aisle roof which is less than 10 feet from a well used village road. Not content with two raids, the thieves returned once more to take the lead from the south aisle roof.

Several issues presented themselves when I considered this lamentable situation. The small group of people who obviously take a pride in their village church are now faced with much unnecessary work and expense in repairing the damage done, together with the uncertainty of repeated thefts once the repairs are completed. Short of stationing individuals on a night-watch, with the real risk to personal safety that would pose, the church remains vulnerable to further damage and loss. It is disheartening to say the least to consider the craftsmanship in the lead-work having lain undisturbed for hundreds of years only to be ransacked in just 3 nights. To ensure that the building remains watertight, this particular church committee acted quickly by having emergency repairs done. This included the erection inside, of a temporary plastic “roof” covering the magnificent church organ – a precautionary step for the expected further removal of lead from the roof above (which at the time of my visit, still remained.) The cost of these temporary repairs must have amounted already to several hundred pounds. To someone with an interest in the preservation of our county’s heritage it is both irritating and upsetting to witness such wanton damage, and all for such short-term (if lucrative) gain. Where the thieves are taking their lead is an obvious question as it is clear that someone is buying it from them. 

In Lincolnshire and beyond, the theft of roof lead is I understand, widespread. It follows then that a similar level of damage, distress and unnecessary expense as described here, is being repeated up and down the country. (A recent radio article gave a shocking statistic that over half of Lincolnshire’s churches had suffered from theft of one form or another in the past 3 years.)

One cannot help feeling powerless in preventing such problems. We rely heavily of course, upon the police to deal with the incidents in the usual manner and are advised to report suspicious activity promptly. Perhaps as Volunteer Heritage Stewards we are in the advantageous position of being able to report any damage or irregular behaviour we see whilst out surveying? Ultimately if we are concerned in preserving our county’s heritage, we all have a duty to remain mindful of such crimes and to prevent further problems where we can.

Colin, Heritage Steward

Getting young people onboard

An important aspect of the Heritage at Risk project (aside from the small matter of attempting to survey over 9,000 heritage assets around the county) is to promote a sense of understanding and appreciation for Lincolnshire’s heritage amongst young people.

Throughout the project we have offered a number of different types of event specifically designed for young people. These have involved a wide range of activities such as surveying historic buildings in Heckington, exploring Tattershall Castle, recording archaeology at Tupholme Abbey and reconstructing a dry stone wall at Caenby.

We have often found ourselves taking part in some more unexpected activities too, such as building rockets, hosting a barbeque and flying down a zip wire at the high ropes centre (the most unexpected of all given that I am not good with heights)…its all part of the job!

Our next young person’s event will involve working with students from St Francis Community Special School in Lincoln. The young people will be undertaking a project about heritage sites in the city and will be helping us to record their condition. By volunteering with us they will also be working towards their Duke of Edinburgh Awards and their Bishop’s Awards with the Diocese of Lincoln.

We visited the school this week to meet some of the pupils who we will be working with. We were very impressed with their enthusiasm for the subject and can’t wait to get started on the project!

Natalie, Heritage at Risk Project Officer

The things you learn!

On the most basic level people enjoy historic buildings because of the way they look. They can be works of art but they can also be striking in their obedience to utilitarianism; "form follows function". There is a fascination with the way these assets were built and the architectural styles that were employed especially when gazing at our wonderful collection of medieval ecclesiastical creations. Historic buildings can be, at the same time, both similar and yet extraordinarily different.

Yet, for many, it is the quiet untold stories that can, sometimes by chance, be heard on a visit to even the most innocuous 'building'. Today I carried out a Lincolnshire Heritage at Risk survey on the south gates and screen of Belton Park. Despite their aesthetic qualities I expected very little in the way of 'learning' from these 18th century structures. After taking a few photographs I entered the park to take some photos of the northern side of the gates. The first thing I noticed was that the heraldic beasts faced into the park rather than to the outside as most modern 'heraldic' features do (such as kitsch concrete lions). Then there was the latin motto: "esse quam videri". Unfortunately I failed my Latin exams at university (although I knew it was something to do with looking) so a quick web-search gave me the translation - "to be, rather than to seem" a Ciceronian quote adopted by the Brownlow family who built and lived in Belton House for nigh on 300 years.

On leaving the park a turned to photograph a monument on the easterly pier, a monument to the Machine Gun Corps. The monument featured no names and so I wondered why this monument was found here. A little bit of Googling later and I discovered that the Machine Gun Corps, founded in 1915, had its first depot and training base at Belton Park. Most of this base was located on the site of what is now Belton Park Golf Club.

After Belton I, by chance, travelled the short distance to Londonthorpe to photograph the church of St John the Baptist. Making my way to the west end of the churchyard I was struck by a number of neatly aligned grave stones. On closer inspection I realised that these were war graves from WWI, 31 in total and 12 honouring men from the Machine Gun Corps. All died at the Cherry Orchard Military Hospital in Grantham that is now occupied by the Uplands Drive estate off Harrowby Lane.

It just goes to show how much can be learnt from our historic buildings.

Michael, Heritage at Risk Project Officer

Freshening up the Heritage site

We're now about half way through the project and have decided to freshen things up a bit by redeveloping the website. Apart from the general appearance of the website we will also be adding a few extra features that will hopefully make things a little easier for our volunteers (and us).

New features will include improved searchability on the Heritage Asset Map, easier editing of photo descriptions on the surveys, a new youth page and a new section on conservation areas. I think everybody will notice the change in appearance of the website - lots of bright colours to match the new leaflets that came out a few months ago.

Luckily, when we arrived, the current website was already up and running (thanks to Liz Bates and Denise Drury). Website development is something that is new to all the current members of staff. It's come as a bit of a shock over how much work goes into something that on paper seems so simple. But, we're getting there and hopefully in a few weeks we will have something that is better to look at and much easier to use. We'll let you know when it's all ready. Watch this space.

Michael, Heritage at Risk Project Officer

Back to the Classroom!

As a volunteer heritage steward I continue to find new and stimulating ways to learn about our county’s heritage.

One such way was made possible recently simply by enrolling upon one of the “GROW” courses offered by Lincolnshire County Council through Heritage Lincolnshire. The course was entitled “Lost Medieval Villages and Abbeys and Priories in Lincolnshire” and was run over two separate evenings at the headquarters of Heritage Lincolnshire in Heckington.

The Trust’s building is a lovely example of Victorian heritage in itself, being a former Church of England village school. Developing a Steward’s keen eye for such things, I could see that many of the school’s original architectural features had been retained! The wooden folding classroom divider with glass panes and the large classroom spaces,(so difficult to heat in winter) reminded me of time spent at a similar school as a child! Also, despite not being used as a school for several years, the playground still bears a clearly visible hop-scotch grid!

However, back to the GROW course! The first part of the course concerned the lost Medieval villages. I had only a vague knowledge of these villages prior to attending the course. I was aware of the village at Brauncewell, beside the A15 north of Sleaford. (Incidentally, I recall that my first awareness of Heritage Lincolnshire’s existence was several years ago when an invitation appeared in the local press for interested parties to meet at the site for a morning’s interpretive visit with a member of the Trust.) The first slide shown on the course was an aerial photograph of Brauncewell and showed the village in astonishing detail – far better than by merely passing by the site on the road would have allowed! The helpful explanations of what we were seeing on the slide effectively “brought the village to life” as details including road and pathways, cottages together with their associated agricultural small-holdings, became clear. The illustrations contained within the Luttrell Psalter- a unique and local Medieval manuscript, were used by the tutor to identify the everyday activities of villagers of the period. To aid this understanding, we were shown a short video, produced by a local history society, in which the various activities were authentically re- enacted. The village remains that we viewed were then transformed through us gaining an understanding of the activities of the individuals who once populated it.

The second part of the course introduced us to the remains of Medieval abbeys and priories in Lincolnshire. The evening’s study was illustrated with photographs and aerial photographs of abbey site which made it easier to identify the plan of typical monastery buildings. Considering the age of the buildings, I was impressed by how intact at least some of these abbeys are. Particularly memorable is the 14th century abbey at Thornton, near Grimsby, whose brick gatehouse appears to be very sturdy indeed.

Overall the course had the effect of firing me with enthusiasm to visit sites of both lost villages and abbeys. This particular course was made available free of charge which was an added bonus.

As I have stated in earlier blogs, becoming a volunteer Heritage Steward has proved to be a very rewarding experience for me – so much more than I had initially imagined.

The Trust is to be commended for their dynamic approach in making learning such an accessible element of their business.

Colin, Heritage Steward

Hands on Heritage

The 26th-28th August witnessed the Lincolnshire Heritage at Risk project embark on our first young persons' residential trip - 'Hands on Heritage'.

The three day trip attempted to introduce a collection of 16 to 25 year olds to certain aspects of heritage that they might not usually get access to.

We collected the first group from Sleaford at about 9:30 on the Tuesday morning. I'm still not sure who was more nervous, us or them. The bus was, not surprisingly, unnervingly quiet. By the time we collected the second group from Lincoln there was a little bit of chat and by the time we picked up David, one of our younger Heritage Stewards, from Market Rasen quite a few conversations had developed. We arrived at Caenby on time and met David Rodger from BTCV who introduced us to the site and the principals of drystone walling. Lunch-time quickly followed alongside a short debriefing from staff (introductions, ice-breakers and, most importantly, rules for the week). It was then straight into it; a couple making hearting stones, some applying the capping stones, a few helping form the foundations and several of us organising the stones into nice neat rows for the wallers. Out of all the tasks it seemed that they were most enthusiastic about making the hearting stones. This involved smashing large lumps of rock with a hammer; quite similar to hard-labour or slaves working in an ancient quarry. Anyway, a young persons' appetite for destruction made sure the hearting kept flowing.

The evening at our youth hostel in Claxby involved an indoor barbecue (otherwise called cooking in the oven) and a walk through the woods, rounded off with a quiz and a video. By this time everybody had started to get to know each other quite well which meant some lengthy chats going on well into the night.

A quick breakfast then it was off to Tupholme Abbey (a site managed by the Heritage Trust of Lincolnshire.) The group was split into 3 so that they could experience building recording, finds processing and earthwork surveying - lots of new skills for all. Despite the all the sheep poo it was a fantastic day enjoyed by all. The only problem was with my newly shaven head and the resultant sun-burn; I'm still peeling! Back at Claxby it was pizza making (well, just adding toppings, no dough tossing) quickly followed, before it got dark, by rocket making. The rockets all carried eggs and were to be launched via the power of water and compressed air. Unfortunately I think I might have added too much water to the rockets which resulted in a failure to launch.

The last day involved a trip to the local high ropes centre; a bit of a 'treat' for the kids and the staff. The first course was about 8 feet off the ground, a way of getting use to the equipment. This was a bit too much for some as they declined the option to go for the 12 feet high section (it felt much higher than 12 feet - if you add my own height I guess my eyes were nearly 18 feet off the ground so it looked a long way down.) A few of the more nerveless ones took up the challenge of the tower and the trapeze, I declined both as I didn't want to show-off in front of the youngsters. After all the excitement we conducted a feedback session where we were told what had been learnt, what they enjoyed, what they didn't enjoy (very little fortunately) and if they would recommend the trip to their friends. All the feedback was very positive so it looks like we will be doing another one next year. Watch this space.

A selection of photos can be viewed at the Lincolnshire Heritage at Risk Facebook page. More will be appearing soon on our new website www.lincshar.org

Michael, Heritage at Risk Project Officer

Echoes from the past

I have found that in the 10 months since becoming a volunteer steward, my appreciation of human history associated with heritage sites in the county has developed. Returning from a day out in the Lincolnshire Wolds with a friend, we approached a church, conspicuous by its elevated position on the brow of a hill. We decided to take a closer look.

Having a keen eye for details in the landscape, my friend drew to my attention the route of a former pathway through the churchyard which would have lead to the church, still distinguishable even after many years of disuse. The route had been replaced by a newer side entry to the churchyard, more convenient for people arriving at the church by car. Standing at the church door and looking back to the old pathway, it became clear that the path joined a track over fields (still a public right of way) down the escarpment to a nearby hamlet of less than 20 homes. I suddenly became aware of how central church life would have been to communities such as this in times gone by.

I further reflected that for hundreds of years, twice every Sunday and on other Holy days, in good weather and bad, whole families would have used this route to the church. I imagined the scene when families would have processed excitedly up the hill to attend a marriage and after the service, made their way back to a wedding feast in the village, perhaps celebrating late into the night!

In contrast, I could imagine families, sombrely dressed, arriving at the church, having followed the cortege and paying their last respects to a friend or family member at a funeral service. I thought of other human activities that would have centred upon the church: the children who would have been required to dress in their “Sunday” clothes for their visit to church and to be on their best behaviour throughout the service, which would presumably have included a lengthy sermon!

The lack of heating in the church during winter must have made attendance at a service even more of a challenge for children and adults alike. Surveying churches with box and family – designated pews has reminded me of the strict hierarchy that would have been an accepted part of church life in times past. Benefactors of the church would have been seated at the front of the church with the poorer congregation occupying the rear pews or even standing throughout the service. The old church suddenly became for me a living testament to times gone by, symbolising as it did, the faith and hopes of families of the area.

In systematically surveying old buildings and churches as a Heritage Steward I believe it is important from time to time to remind myself that these fascinating old buildings, with their impressive architecture and skilful craftsmanship are more than mere structures.

Through my volunteer work for the Trust I feel I am developing a keener appreciation and respect for the human past that these noble buildings represent. A chance observation by my friend that day brought to our attention an old route to the church, forgotten by most. Its uphill route graphically demonstrated the effort that would have been involved in attending church and the commitment that this community once had in maintaining its faith throughout all seasons of the year.

Colin, Heritage Steward

An architectural gem

My first year as a Heritage Steward is coming to an end and I want to share with everyone my discovery of the jewel in our Lincolnshire heritage crown. Ellys Manor House, Great Ponton, near Grantham.

Between 1500 and 1520 the Ellys family of rich Hanseatic wool merchants built an imposing new home of Ancaster limestone. They chose to have the inside walls of the upper rooms covered with paintings of trees, animals, birds and foliage. Pevsner has described these as “the most complete, extensive and important domestic decoration of this date in the country."

500 years later it is still possible to stand and marvel at these glorious scenes painted by those medieval artists. There have been some changes over the centuries, including the use of the house as a rectory, but it is still owned by a family dedicated to preserving this wonderful unique part of our Lincolnshire heritage. Ellys Manor House is a treasure whose paintings are at risk and need our support.

Celia, Heritage Steward

To find out more about Ellys Manor House visit http://www.ellysmanorhouse.com

Conservation Areas

Much of this week has been taken up with preparing information on all of Lincolnshire's 163 Conservation Areas. This information is needed for our updated website so that our Heritage Stewards will have some information to help them complete their Conservation Area surveys. It is hoped that our Heritage Stewards will download the information, and a map, from our website that they will then be able to take out into the field.

Lincolnshire contains a plethora of Conservation Areas, all of which are unique. Many cover historic cores of rural villages but the County also contains Conservation Areas covering a a variety of interesting sites including: a former lunatic asylum (Rauceby Hospital), a glimpse of Victorian rural industry (Heckington Station) and “the English country market town par excellence" (Stamford). Stamford is of great interest not just because it contains over 430 Listed Buildings but also because it is England's very first Conservation Area - designated in 1967. The project has a fantastic group of volunteers in Stamford and it is likely that they will have to continue to tackle the town together to complete the Conservation Area survey.

There is no such thing as a 'typical' Conservation Area (which will make surveying them very challenging). 'Lincoln -The Dell' is less than a hectare (i.e. smaller than a football field) while Louth is over 140 times as large! Some contain hundreds of listed buildings such as Stamford (433), Boston (226) and Lincoln Cathedral (312) while others contain none - Stamford Northfields, Dawsmere and Fleet Fen.

We, alongside Lincoln City Council, have provided specialist Conservation Area for our Heritage Stewards and we will be planning more in the future (keep an eye on http://www.lincshar.org/events-training). These types of survey will involve additional research and reading and, of course, they will take much longer to complete than a normal building survey. I'm looking forward to doing a few of my own when time allows as it will be a great way of gaining a much more in-depth knowledge of certain site around the county.

Michael, Heritage at Risk Project Officer

Being a Project Officer

Last week was very typical of a week working on the 'Lincolnshire Heritage at Risk' project. Everyday is different.

Monday was mainly preparing for a talk. Getting the Power-point ready, sourcing suitable photographs and, of course, writing what I was going to say. It took much longer than I thought, especially the Power-point which contained some very dodgy animation. I'm sure my nieces and nephews could have done better.

Tuesday involved a staff meeting with fellow Project Officer Natalie and Senior Project Officer Matthew. The bulk of this meeting was concerned with our 'Hands on Heritage' expedition for young people. Still lots to sort out but making good progress.

Much of Wednesday was spent dealing with volunteer queries. Our volunteers are essential to the success of the project so we aim to deal with them as quickly as possible. Queries might involve: booking events, problems with the website, locating assets, questions about particular buildings etc. Answering questions can take quite a while especially when we have over 240 volunteers. I also posted out ID cards to our newest recruits who were trained at Alford by myself and our Director David Start. Hopefully these new 'Heritage Stewards' will be able to start surveying to add to the nearly 4000 completed surveys so far.

Thursday and Friday both involved more planning for my talk. printing off forms, the register and, most importantly of all, making sure we had enough tea, coffee and biscuits. These two days also involved a number of hours validating completed surveys. The project team check every single survey that gets completed by our volunteers. Sometimes its difficult to keep up with the amounts being completed!

Saturday was my talk at Benington. In the morning I talked about common building defects and after lunch we visited All Saints, a grade I listed church. The church is currently vacant but there are plans for its future. After a (very) short architectural tour by me members of the Community Trust explained what they have been doing and their plans for its future.

Overall, as always, a very interesting and varied week.

Michael, Heritage at Risk Project Officer

Volunteering as a Heritage Steward

I first heard about the Heritage at Risk project through a volunteering event at the University of Lincoln. I signed up for the introductory course which I attended with a few friends from my course.

The informal training included a presentation on background to the project. The aim was to record the condition and current use of historic buildings in Lincolnshire and contribute to a county-wide survey. After lunch, there was a guided walk around Stamford’s conservation area. We were shown what to look for when surveying a building and given guidance on completing the forms.

I was interested in taking part to find out more about my local area and have experience to include on my CV, as I am hoping to find work in the heritage field.

Unfortunately, due to work commitments, I haven’t done any surveys yet but volunteering with the project doesn’t mean committing to set hours. The surveys can be conducted when you have free time.

I’m now hoping to get out and make use of the good weather to begin surveying. Through my blog, I’m aiming to share my experience of being a ‘beginner’ Heritage Steward volunteer.

Karen, Heritage Steward

Becoming a Heritage Steward

Listening to Radio 4 one afternoon last year, I happened to hear an article promoting a new heritage project beginning in Lincolnshire.

Volunteers were needed to become Heritage Stewards, their primary task being to assist in the recording of the condition of Heritage "assets" (buildings, places of worship and archaeological sites) in the county. I had a few hours a week to spare having reduced my working hours and a few mouse-clicks later, I was in touch with Heritage Lincolnshire and found myself booked onto an introductory course for Heritage Stewards.

Having some previous volunteering experience with a local civic trust, I was not entirely new to the role. However, a year on from hearing that article on the radio, I could not have imagined the many varied and altogether positive experiences that I have enjoyed through becoming a Heritage Steward with Lincolnshire Heritage at Risk. Whilst I hope my small contribution to the project will be of help to the Trust's aims, I have without doubt, gained personally from "becoming involved".

As a volunteer steward, I have been able to develop my general interest in local historic buildings and sites. Having already surveyed around 15 sites, I now feel more confident in the role. Initially I was unsure of some of the terminology used in carrying out a survey (for example, the difference between a pinnacle and a parapet) but I would urge anyone out there who is considering becoming a volunteer not to be discouraged by such things! "Practice makes (almost) perfect", as the saying goes!

In the weeks to come, through my blog, I intend to detail examples of the experiences to be gained through becoming involved in the Lincolnshire Heritage at Risk project as a volunteer.

I'll close by suggesting some basic things to consider to ensure enjoyable volunteering with the Trust:

•That it helps if you have an existing love of Lincolnshire's heritage in all its forms
•That you have a wish to ensure that the county's heritage is maintained for future generations to enjoy
•That you have an openness to learn more about your county's heritage both through your own discoveries and the Trust's free study days
•And lastly, that through your role, you enjoy meeting a wide variety of new people!

Colin, Heritage Steward

Welcome to the new Heritage at Risk blog

We have Facebook and Twitter accounts and now Lincolnshire Heritage at Risk has a new weekly blog!

My name is Natalie Hamilton and I am one of the Project Officers working on Lincolnshire Heritage at Risk, a national pilot project which aims to survey and record the condition of Lincolnshire's Heritage assets with the help of volunteer Heritage Stewards.

Together with Project Officer Michael Knapton and some of our willing volunteers we will be keeping you up to date on the latest project news and giving you an insight into the experiences of our Heritage Stewards.

Thanks to the LincMe team who delivered a great training session for us on Tuesday which introduced us all to the wonderful world of blogging. Each member of the blogging team will take it in turns to write our weekly blog, so you can expect to hear from me again in a few weeks time…

In the meantime I will be busy preparing our programme of events for this summer, we have lots coming up including a Heritage Steward training day in Caistor, an illustrated talk on 'The Lost Villages of the Wolds' and a look at 'Why Do Buildings Fall Down?', not forgetting the volunteer social event at Doddington Hall. I can also reveal that we are organising an action-packed 3-day 'Hands on Heritage' expedition for young people aged 16-25…Details will be released soon!

As its Volunteers' Week next week I would like to say a big thank you to all 238 of our volunteers for their contribution to the project, without you it would not be possible!

Natalie, Heritage at Risk Project Officer