Broseley Heritage Centre Project

Images from the Kempe window at All Saints' Church - and a link to Wikipedia entry about him

An ambitious plan to create a Heritage Centre in Broseley’s historic All Saints’ Church is one step nearer. A campaign to provide the initial funding has now reached the stage where. Architects Donald Insall Associates and Imagemakers, a specialist visitor experience design consultancy, are now working to design the centre and provide experienced professional help in making grant applications, including to the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The team representing both the church and town communities in this exciting project, is delighted to thank all who have given their support.

The centre will be the focus for celebrating and sharing the rich industrial and social history of what was the major industrial and market town of the district. Its people ranged from the squatters who carved the unique ‘Jitties’, to the great innovators whose achievements helped to shape the Industrial Revolution and made the Ironbridge Gorge so significant a place in world history.

Gillian Pope of the Broseley Local History Society, says, “We are keen to illuminate aspects of the town’s industrial history, putting it in a social and national context, in a way that can get people excited and encourage further exploration. We have a large selection of artefacts and memorabilia relating to Broseley and have been looking for a way to display and promote the richness of the town’s past as well as provide links to other heritage attractions in the area.”

Former Rector of All Saints Church, the Reverend Sue Beverly, adds, “The church is the ideal venue for the heritage centre. It is the largest building in the town and we are delighted at the prospect of developing it to provide a home for this important community and tourism project. Our goal is to give local residents and tourists an exciting, illuminating and memorable experience.”

The church is itself of significant historical importance and interest. In particular, it is home to a spectacular memorial stained glass window by Charles Eamer Kempe, one the country’s most renowned Victorian designers whose work adorns some of the U.K.'s notable buildings and cathedrals. Adrian Barlow, a member of the Kempe Trust, is particularly keen to reveal what may be Kempe’s last window as it could be “of possibly unique importance”. Sadly that feature is hidden today but the new heritage centre will enable this to be revealed in all its glory.

More details will be provided as the project is developed. For further information, contact:

Paul Taylor, Chair, Broseley Heritage Centre Project Group,

e-mail: broseleyheritagecentre@gmail.com

telephone: 44(0)7961 010966

All Saints’ Church in Church Street is the parish church of Broseley with Benthall, Shropshire.

Jitties are narrow curved lanes that link together a jumble of old squatter cottages and tracks down to the River Severn.