NEWS
£ 1,489,255 OF INVESTMENT TO PUT ARTS, CULTURE AND HERITAGE AT THE HEART OF COMMUNITIES IN EAST KENT
East Kent has been chosen as one of sixteen places across England to receive a significant investment as part of the £ 20million Lottery funded Great Place Scheme, a partnership between Arts Council England, Heritage Lottery Fund( HLF) and Historic England.
The grant will support Pioneering Places, an ambitious project that will make East Kent an even better place to live, work and visit by exploring heritage, developing civic pride and connecting artists and communities. The project will be delivered through a partnership between Turner Contemporary, the Creative Foundation and Canterbury City Council, overseen by the Cultural Transformation Board.
Turner Contemporary will work with Thanet District Council and the community, including primary school children in Ramsgate to deliver Pioneering Places. Children will work with planners, designers, artists, historians and a philosopher. They will commission an artist to make a major artwork and a designer to create new interpretation for a site, driven by their own ideas, interests, historical research and community engagement.
The three-year project will leave a legacy of influencing policy makers in the region, showing how culture makes for great placemaking.
ANNE OF CLEVES PANEL UNVEILED AT HEVER CASTLE & GARDENS
A rare wooden panel from a former home of Anne of Cleves was unveiled at Hever Castle & Gardens in March. Author Sarah Morris who co-wrote a book, In the Footsteps of the Six Wives of Henry VIII, spoke about Anne before historian Dr Jonathan Foyle talked about the significance of the panel and carried out the official unveiling.
While researching her book Sarah found references to Anne of Cleves panels and contacted Jonathan Foyle. Jonathan tracked some panels down to the Church of St Leonard, Old Warden, Bedfordshire before coincidently noticing a panel at auction. The panel was later purchased by the Guthrie family, the owners of Hever Castle.
The artefact, dating to around 1544, is believed to have come from a former home of Anne of Cleves, which could have been Hever Castle. The oak panel shows Anne’ s insignia and appears to have been made for her and installed on her orders. It is one of several panels removed after she died. It is not known which of Anne’ s homes the panel came from but Hever Castle is a possibility.
Historian Dr Jonathan Foyle who found the panel said:“ It is an extraordinary rare object and illuminates the real quality of Tudor interiors. It is one of a kind. Hever has a leading role in bringing back to life the story of the Tudor monarchs. They are a curatorial host for the nation’ s treasures. I am delighted that it is going to be shown at Hever.”
The panel will be on display in the Queens’ Chamber at Hever Castle from Wednesday 22nd March.
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