Heritage project to explore radical and inclusive history of Blackheath

We are delighted that earlier in the year The National Lottery Heritage Fund awarded £10,000 to our client, the Church of the Ascension, Blackheath for a project to explore the church’s heritage and radical traditions through personal and biographical stories from the community, past and present.

From the days of its association with Greyladies College, hosting a pre-WW1 Church Lads Brigade to its pivotal role in the South Bank Religion movement of the 1970s, the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement and the Movement for the Ordination of Women, alongside community-based initiatives such as the Wash House Youth Club, the con-temporary church continues to provide a focus for worship, prayer, inclusion, social jus-tice, human rights, debate and protest.

Under the title, ‘One roof, many stories: radical and inclusive histories’, the project will engage local volunteers in researching and interpreting a range of stories and images. These will be made accessible through web pages and audio-visual installation in the church itself.

“We are keen to capture this less recorded and comparatively recent history, some of which has been excluded or omitted from official recorded histories,” said Reverend Anne Bennett. “We are particularly keen to record the memories and material archive of individuals in the congregation and the community before they are lost and forgotten. We are inviting all members of the public that have memories linked to the Church of the Ascension and the various movements it has been involved with to kindly share with us their stories and help us to tell them more widely. We’d also like to hear from anyone who would like to become part of the volunteer research and interpretation team.”

Press contact: Bridget Knapper bridget.knapper@ntlworld.com 07876 367142

Notes:

About The Church of the Ascension, Blackheath
The Church of the Ascension, Dartmouth Row, SE10 8AW is a grade II * listed building and one of the oldest churches in Blackheath. The church is both a local parish church hosting groups for young people, ESOL and food poverty. It is also a ‘destination church’ for people in the community, including LGBTQIA+ and others seeking an inclusive and socially aware outlook. It played a pivotal role in the South Bank Religion movement, which sought to reshape Christianity in the light of modern science and the challenges of an unjust world and its members were key figures in the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement, Amnesty International, Anti-Apartheid and the Movement for the Ordination of Women. It hosts the Amnesty International booksale twice a year.
www.ascension-blackheath.org
@AscensionCurch

About The National Lottery Heritage Fund
Using money raised by the National Lottery, we Inspire, lead and resource the UK’s heritage to create positive and lasting change for people and communities, now and in the future. www.heritagefund.org.uk.

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We are delighted that earlier in the year The National Lottery Heritage Fund awarded £10,000 to our client, the Church of the Ascension, Blackheath for a project to explore the church’s heritage and radical traditions through personal and biographical stories from the community, past and present.

From the days of its association with Greyladies College, hosting a pre-WW1 Church Lads Brigade to its pivotal role in the South Bank Religion movement of the 1970s, the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement and the Movement for the Ordination of Women, alongside community-based initiatives such as the Wash House Youth Club, the con-temporary church continues to provide a focus for worship, prayer, inclusion, social jus-tice, human rights, debate and protest.

Under the title, ‘One roof, many stories: radical and inclusive histories’, the project will engage local volunteers in researching and interpreting a range of stories and images. These will be made accessible through web pages and audio-visual installation in the church itself.

“We are keen to capture this less recorded and comparatively recent history, some of which has been excluded or omitted from official recorded histories,” said Reverend Anne Bennett. “We are particularly keen to record the memories and material archive of individuals in the congregation and the community before they are lost and forgotten. We are inviting all members of the public that have memories linked to the Church of the Ascension and the various movements it has been involved with to kindly share with us their stories and help us to tell them more widely. We’d also like to hear from anyone who would like to become part of the volunteer research and interpretation team.”

Press contact: Bridget Knapper bridget.knapper@ntlworld.com 07876 367142

Notes:

About The Church of the Ascension, Blackheath
The Church of the Ascension, Dartmouth Row, SE10 8AW is a grade II * listed building and one of the oldest churches in Blackheath. The church is both a local parish church hosting groups for young people, ESOL and food poverty. It is also a ‘destination church’ for people in the community, including LGBTQIA+ and others seeking an inclusive and socially aware outlook. It played a pivotal role in the South Bank Religion movement, which sought to reshape Christianity in the light of modern science and the challenges of an unjust world and its members were key figures in the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement, Amnesty International, Anti-Apartheid and the Movement for the Ordination of Women. It hosts the Amnesty International booksale twice a year.
www.ascension-blackheath.org
@AscensionCurch

About The National Lottery Heritage Fund
Using money raised by the National Lottery, we Inspire, lead and resource the UK’s heritage to create positive and lasting change for people and communities, now and in the future. www.heritagefund.org.uk.