What was it like?

"As we lived in a remote spot, Grandma set her clothes line out in the adjacent field where there was unlimited breeze, well away from our garden, which contained fruit trees and kidney bean sticks to snag the washing. Unfortunately, inquisitive cattle grazed this field and occasionally we had to chase after half-dressed cows. Many of our shirts and blouses became firmly impaled on the horns of the beasts. Nothing was more daunting than the sight of Grandma in full flight, fists raised, chasing after her fast retreating bloomers!” Frank Gregory, ‘Early Recollections of Ibstock’.

Summer 2005 has been a spectacular season of stories for The National Forest’s LANDshapes ‘Heritage in the Making’ Project. There have been tales of leaving familiar haunts to join the battlefields of World War Two, momentous first days at work in the pits and clay yards of the coalfields, fond memories of parades, galas and a strong community spirit.

A range of community events and workshops organised by Heritage Lottery funded LANDshapes has enabled over 2,000 people throughout the Forest to revisit old memories, and have an enjoyable, sociable time in the process!

Over 900 people, young and old, journeyed down memory lane in Swadlincote, Melbourne and Alrewas. Displays of old photographs and objects inspired forgotten memories from older people and sparked all kinds of curious questions from the children.

Heritage and technology go hand in hand in the Forest: individuals have been invited to preserve their memories to CD, to creatively record heritage through photography and to add their research, stories, photographs and knowledge to an interactive archive on the internet.

Over 80 oral histories, interviews and research projects on growing up, living and working in The National Forest - before there was a Forest - are recorded and in total 800 contributions to the archive can be found at www.landshapes.org/archive

Mel Patrick, Chairman of Overseal Gala Committee shared his thoughts with LANDshapes during the 40th gala event this year: “The landscape is changing. As we look out towards Woodville, all it was, was clay pits, clay mounds and lorries through the village, taking the coal and clay away. As you stood where we are standing now you could see the glow of the kilns of the pottery works…I can remember they dropped the big chimney at Donington, it was a village event; everyone turned out to watch it being blown up.

“But now all that kind of industry is turned over not to farmland, but to the landscape of The National Forest. It’s a big improvement; my father would never have thought it would be like this and it’s only in its infancy.”