World Heritage Latest
1st September 2008
MAKE Lecture Series 2008
The University for the Creative Arts at Rochester are offering a series of FREE public lectures, beginning on 18th September with "Building Bridges and 4000 Model Ships". Guest speakers Derek Flippance of the Royal Engineers Museum and Richard Holdsworth from Chatham Historic Dockyard will speak about the use and role of analogue models in their museums’ collections and their plans to expand the range of artefacts on display.
MAKE is a research cluster at the University that was set up in 2007 to explore the use of models in the development, presentation and marketing of ideas.
This first lecture event will also see the launch of MAKE’s new on-line research platform, a website that will host and record ongoing research events and projects. All are welcome to the event. The lecture will start at 5pm in the Peter Williams Lecture Theatre, UCA Rochester, with tea & coffee from 4:30pm in the college’s main foyer. Click here for details.
14th August 2008
Summer Sundays at Fort Amherst have proved a tremendous success. Visitors to the site on Sunday 10th August topped 630 - the highest ever visitor figure for a non-event day. Chatham World Heritage and the Fort Amherst Heritage Trust have been delighted by the enthusiasm for the site, the World Heritage application and the Great Lines City Park project.
There's still time to enjoy a free visit and guided tour of the site, with ongoing Sunday opening until 14th September, and bonus open days on Monday 25th August and Saturday 13th September. Opening times are 10.30am-4.30pm.
15th July 2008
Chatham World Heritage and the University of Greenwich have joined forces to create a post-graduate student placement from September 2008 - July 2009. Chatham World Heritage will cover a student's fees and limited expenses for a MSc degree in Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing. The selected student, based at the University's Medway campus, will explore the development of Chatham's proposed World Heritage Site from the Age of Sail to the present day, using a series of historic maps and sophisticated GIS tools. This will provide an excellent resource for the identification of potential hotspots for archaeological remains, and in support of the interpretation of Chatham's significance. The student's work will make a major contribution to the future management and promotion of Chatham's World Heritage.
Students interested in applying are invited to contact Joanne Cable at chathamworldheritage@medway.gov.uk.
8th July 2008
Free entry to Fort Amherst this summer!
The spectacular Napoleonic fortification of Fort Amherst will open free of charge this summer, from Sunday 13th July and every following Sunday until 14th September 2008. There will also be free entry on August Bank Holiday Monday (25th August) and Saturday 13th September.
Opening times are 10.30am – 4pm.
The free admission is a joint undertaking between Chatham World Heritage and Fort Amherst Heritage Trust, aimed at increasing public awareness of the future Great Lines City Park, and the World Heritage Site application for Chatham Dockyard and its defences.
Visitors will be amazed at the extent of these fortifications in the heart of Medway, and a free guided tour through the maze of tunnels dug deep into the chalk cliffs will lead to one of the finest views across Chatham and Rochester.
No need to book - just arrive on the day. Free parking is available on site (voluntary donations will be most welcome).
27th June 2008
We are pleased to announce that The Aerial Reconnaissance Co will be the generous sponsors of the next Chatham World Heritage Partnership meeting. Details of this meeting will be confirmed in the next few weeks.
In the meantime, why not have a look at the amazing aerial views of Chatham's World Heritage which The Aerial Reconnaissance Co have kindly donated to the project.
3rd June 2008
The present will be buried for future generations tomorrow when a time capsule celebration takes place in the Town Hall Gardens, Chatham.
A group or residents and artists - fascinated by the history of Medway that the gardens contain - came up with the idea of making a time capsule that would contain their memories of the area, and their ideas of how they might like to see the gardens change in the future.
Local residents are warmly welcome to attend the event from 2.30-4pm.
The contents of the capsule are to remain a secret, preserved for residents of the future to discover.
The project has been funded by Medway Council (through the EU project REIGNITE), Medway Renaissance, Chatham World Heritage, ward councillor Bill Esterson and the Brook Lines Residents Action Group.
29th May 2008
A summary of last week's popular Chatham World Heritage Partnership meeting is now available here. The summary also contains important guidance for anyone wishing to apply for project funding from the Chatham World Heritage Community Fund.
To receive e-mail or postal updates on Chatham World Heritage activity, and invites to Partnership events, please register here.
22nd May 2008
Thanks to everyone who participated in Tuesday's Chatham World Heritage Partnership meeting. Another successful event saw over 100 people visit the Royal School of Military Engineering at Brompton Barracks. The majority of participants also stayed on after the meeting for a rare guided glimpse inside the Officers' Mess.
Participants were welcomed by Brigadier Tony Harking of the RSME. Cllr Rodney Chambers, Leader of Medway Council, summed up the evening with very positive reflections on the significant momentum which is powering the project, and the excellence of the case underpinning Chatham's potential nomination.
Another of the evening's highlights was the announcement of the launch of the Partnership Heritage Fund, providing local residents and community groups a funded opportunity to develop projects in support of Chatham's World Heritage. Full details of how to apply will be posted on the website next week, along with a full summary of the evening's activities.
To receive updates on Chatham World Heritage activity, and invites to future Partnership events, you can register here.
19th May 2008
The draft summary of the Management Plan - a central part of Chatham's World Heritage Site application - has been launched. The background to the document will be presented at tomorrow's World Heritage Partnership meeting, and comments are very welcome: chathamworldheritage@medway.gov.uk. Thanks again to everyone who has contributed to the development of the plan, and in particular, those who attended the World Heritage Partnership meeting on 30th January.
The draft of the full Management Plan will follow, once a full range of potential projects and actions in support of the agreed objectives has been collated. This full draft will also be subject to its own period of consultation.
The draft summary can be downloaded here.
6th May 2008
Registration has opened for the third meeting of the Chatham World Heritage Partnership, which will take place from 6.00pm - 7.25pm on Tuesday 20th May. The meeting will take place within Brompton Barracks, and there is a (free) optional tour of the Headquarter Mess after the event. The programme for the evening can be found here.
The meeting is open to anyone who is interested in attending. Places must be booked, however, by emailing chathamworldheritage@medway.gov.uk. Please include your name and address, job title where appropriate, and any special access or dietary requirements. Please also note if you would like to take part in the optional tour. There is ample free parking within the barracks, although please provide your vehicle make, model, colour and registration details should you wish to park on site.
