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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