THE GRAVESHIP OF HOLME PAGEANT
Funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Graveship of Holme supported the co-creation of the Graveship of Holme Pageant, engaging over 1,400 people across seven Holme Valley townships. Through workshops, performances and community-led exhibitions, residents explored and celebrated their shared heritage, deepening connections to the landscape and lived history of the rural region. The project culminated in a community pageant at the Big Weekend.
More information about The Graveship of Holme can be found here: https://graveshipofholme.co.uk/
We worked with 24 groups/schools
We delivered 58 days of heritage interpretation sessions
with 569 participants
7 presentation events were held (1 in each township) which included heritage performances about the luddites, Victorians, historic floods, early music performances, heritage plays and displays of visual art from adults and children, live music, textiles and craft activities.
The Township events were co-created by 629 local people of all ages and abilities,
reaching 229 people as audience/visitors.
The pageant was performed by 45 people on the Saturday of Holmfirth Arts Festival’s Big Weekend to a live audience of 110.
We visited 3 care homes to share heritage and reminiscences around the importance of the River Holme with 60 elderly people and young adults with disabilities.
We explored the environmental sustainability of The Graveship with 20 people on the Graveship of Holme Walk
The project aimed to:
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Save the Holme Valley's heritage
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Contribute to protecting the environment
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Improve inclusion, access to, and participation with, local heritage
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Develop Holmfirth Arts Festival's organisational sustainability
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The heritage explored and safeguarded:
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The formation of the Graveship of Holme
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The 1812 Upperthong Incident
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Luddites
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Victorians
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Children in work
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Early lute music and instrument making
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Cultural, Industrial, Textile and Environmental/Landscape Heritage
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The Holmfirth Floods of 1814 and 1944
Access and Inclusion
We worked with a BSL interpreter on many of the township events and on the pageant day. The township events were hyperlocal and our Access Liaison worked closely with people with access needs to remove barriers to participation.
