Delve into Victorian lives at Holbeach open day

A chance to discover the occupations of Victorians buried in a Holbeach cemetery and see inside its Grade II listed chapels is on offer on Saturday.(April 22)

The open day is the latest event in a diary of activities being supported by a £49,000 Heritage Lottery Fund award.

Gill Graper, a trustee of Holbeach Cemeteries Chapel Trust, said: “There aren’t many chapels of this type – two chapels together – in the country in a position to be refurbished.
“They are important for south Lincolnshire and South Holland for tourism. There is an increasing number of small heritage sites in the district, such as Moulton Mill and Chain Bridge Forge, which together can encourage people to come to this area.
“Holbeach, in particular, needs that input to try to regenerate the economy.”

The trust is working towards making a grant bid to enable refurbishment of the Park Road chapels – a project likely to cost in the region of £750,000.
The chapels will be open 10am to 4pm on Saturday with an exhibition of some of the best entries into its recent photographic competition on display. The contest attracted 30 entries all showcasing the cemetery and chapels.

At 2pm, the Cemetery Trail will be led by Linden Secker, a leading researcher for the Holbeach Cemetery Research Group, focusing on the occupations of the Victorians buried in the cemetery. It will be an opportunity for visitors to learn more about the project and the long term aims for the chapels.

Several events are planned for the next few months, including a Graveyard Workshop and Survey, helping participants to learn some of the archaeological fieldwork techniques used to plot burial sites. Trainer Neil Parker, senior archaeologist and Time-Team collaborator will lead the workshop.
Places are still available for this course.

The trust is also currently seeking to appoint a project administrator, 15 hours per week. Full details available at www.holbeachcemeterychapels.org.uk