South Gloucestershire Council Press Release

South Gloucestershire Council, Civic Centre, High Street, Kingswood, BS15 9TR, Tel: 01454863200, E-Mail: [log in to unmask], Web: www.southglos.gov.uk

Issue Date: 02/02/2016

Know Your Place West of England - putting South Gloucestershire on the map

For the first time, historical maps of South Gloucestershire are now freely available online thanks to the Know Your Place West of England project, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Know Your Place is a free digital mapping resource that enables you to explore your neighbourhood online through old maps, archive images and linked information. Know Your Place West of England is an ambitious extension of the Know Your Place Bristol website, which launched in 2011.

South Gloucestershire has now been added to the resource, more than quadrupling the area currently covered. Historic Environment Record data is available alongside the maps, providing a valuable research tool for everyone; from school children to family historians, planners to enthusiasts of community heritage.

You will also be able to upload and share your own information about the area, helping to build a rich and diverse community map of local heritage for everyone. From Severn Beach to Thornbury, Wickwar to Marshfield, Yate to Kingswood, and Warmley to Filton – you can now discover how South Gloucestershire has been transformed over time.

Over the coming months, the Know Your Place West of England project will extend to include the counties of Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Somerset, North Somerset and Bath & North East Somerset. The website will continue to grow as more resources, including enclosure and tithe maps, as well as drawings and photographs from archive and museum collections, are added.

To start exploring South Gloucestershire’s maps and heritage information visit the new Know Your Place West of England website www.kypwest.org.uk. The website also features an accompanying blog where you can follow the project’s progress.

Communities Chair Cllr Heather Goddard said: “There will always be new things to discover and share on Know Your Place and anyone can help contribute to this fantastic resource. We invite everyone in South Gloucestershire to view the maps and share information about your own local heritage – whether it’s the well at the bottom of your garden, a family photo of your street during a Jubilee party, or an unusual feature of your favourite building in your hometown.”

Nerys Watts, Head of Heritage Lottery Fund South West, said: “Know Your Place West of England will be a fantastic resource, bringing together the history of this area so people can discover the ever-changing make-up of the places where they live and work. If you have bought a National Lottery ticket recently, you have helped to support these types of projects that are preserving the precious heritage of our communities for future generations. Thank you.”

The Know Your Place West of England project was awarded £379,800 be the Heritage lottery Fund, with generous match-funding and in-kind support from local authorities and heritage groups within the region, including £5,000 match-funding from lead partner South Gloucestershire Council.

For more information and to view the map visit www.kypwest.org.uk

ENDS

Notes to Editors
Please find an image of one of the historic maps attached depicting Thornbury in the 1880s. A case study from a project volunteer and member of South Gloucestershire Mines Research Group, talking about why Know Your Place coming to South Gloucestershire is valuable to them, is available on request.

Know Your Place West of England is supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund and covers Gloucestershire, Somerset, Wiltshire and the former Avon area. South Gloucestershire Council is the lead project partner and the project has opportunities for volunteers and community groups to get involved.

Anonymous Testimonials from recent survey of users on Know Your Place Bristol (November 2015):
“It is great to see it being extended from just covering the City – keep up the good work!”
“It’s absolutely brilliant and irresistible to the point of being addictive.”
“I love the layers of maps; it demonstrates so well how the area has grown and developed.”
“It is developing into a sort of historical Google Street View and gives a fascinating picture of change through time.”
“I like the thousands of little windows it provides into the past; all based on specific identified places on the map. It is a wonderful tool for local history research.”

Project partners include: Avon Industrial Buildings Trust, Bath Record Office, Bristol & Gloucestershire Archaeological Society, Bristol and Avon Family History Society, Bristol City Council, Bristol industrial Archaeological Society, the British Library, Friends of Gloucestershire Archives, Gloucester City Council, Gloucestershire Archives, North Somerset Council, Somerset Heritage Service, South Gloucestershire Council, South Gloucestershire Mines Research Group, Thornbury Museum, Wiltshire Council and Swindon Borough Council, and Yate & District Heritage Centre.

About the Heritage Lottery Fund
Thanks to National Lottery players, we invest money to help people across the UK explore, enjoy and protect the heritage they care about - from the archaeology under our feet to the historic parks and buildings we love, from precious memories and collections to rare wildlife. www.hlf.org.uk @heritagelottery
Contact Tom Williams, HLF Communications Manager, 0207 591 6056 / [log in to unmask]

For media enquiries contact:

Strategic Communications

South Gloucestershire Council

Tel: 01454 863200

www.southglos.gov.uk

Issued by Darren Jones on 02/02/2016 10:11:36