Sixpenny Handley with Pentridge Parish Councilis thankful to have received a Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) Sharing Heritage1grant. The grant will enable the village to research the history of the great fire in Sixpenny Handley that occurred on the 20thMay 1892.The fire started at the Wheelwrights at the top of the village and spread quickly destroying most of the pretty thatched cottages. The subsequent rebuilding of the village lead Sir Fredrick Treves to describe the village in his book ‘Highways and Byways of Dorset’ as ‘the ugliest village in Dorset’. Children from Sixpenny Handley First School, Little Pennies Pre School and 1stWoodcutts Scouts will be researching the stories surrounding the fire to be commemorated in a new community festival day ‘The Sixpenny Handley Waistcoat Festival’ on Saturday 17th May 2014. After the fire so many families had lost their homes and belongings that the surrounding villages generously donated clothes, so many that they used to say you ‘could tell a Handley man as he wore two if not three waistcoats’.
Sixpenny Handley with Pentridge Parish Councilare creating opportunities for children in the village to learn about the history of the village and in particular the fire through working with artists, traditional craftsmen and local people as well as accessing local archives at The Priests House Museum, Wimborne. The ‘Sixpenny Handley Waistcoat Festival’ has been created to share the story of our heritage. The children will create performances and animations that tell the story of the fire and the people who lived in the village at the time. The festival day takes place in Sixpenny Handley High Street on Saturday 17thof May at 12pm-4pm and will showcase the children’s work, celebrating their achievements with music, stalls, craft demonstrations, craft activities, competitions, storytelling and much more. A lantern parade and commemorative beacon lighting will take place at Church Farm Campsite at 8pm-9pm.
The project is run entirely by volunteers. Commenting on the award, Parish Events Committee member, Jenny Gordon said: “We are so excited to have been awarded this grant, there are many fascinating stories to be unearthed about the fire and we can’t wait to get started. Sixpenny Handley is a fantastic village to live in and we want to settle an old score by showing Sir Frederick Treves and the rest of Dorset that we think we have the best village! The Waistcoat Festival will help put us back on the map as well as share our heritage and history with the rest of the county.”
Nerys Watts, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund South West said: “Sharing Heritage is a wonderful opportunity for communities to delve into their local heritage and we are delighted to be able to offer this grant so that Sixpenny Handleycan embark on a real journey of discovery.Heritage means such different things to different people, and HLF’s funding offers a wealth of opportunities for groups to explore and celebrate what’s important to them in their area.”
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