Heritage Forum
Following on from last time, I’d like to say thankyou to all those that were able to come along to the first Heritage Forum meet up. It was really good to have a chat about what you would say to someone new to the town, and then think of some of our lesser known, and very interesting, people and events in local history. We got together a great list in a short time!
One person was Thomas Clarkson – yes, I know he’s one of the more famous ones! – but the point was made about the building he was born in. One of our oldest buildings, housing the Grammar School in its early life as well as various older uses. It is a place I’ve mentioned before, as it was open for the first time as a destination for Heritage Open Days in 2018.
My contribution to the discussion was a person that I hadn’t heard of until recently, W T Streader. He was certainly well known in Wisbech in his lifetime, for saving the lives of over 20 people locally, and more elsewhere. All saved from drowning. He led a very interesting life and I have started reading a book written about him which is intriguing for its details of Wisbech life at that time as much as for his story. (It was printed around 1898). There is a memorial to him at the General Cemetery (though he is buried elsewhere), so, along with the many others buried there that we would like to research further, I think there is plenty of reading to be done just for their stories.
We also had an interesting contribution regarding“untimely deaths” – including Sessions House and those who were sentenced to death. We then went on to discuss cholera, the opium trade, and the Wisbech Riots, the last were in relation to doctors in the town.
Adding to the list: the tunnels, the Horsefair (before shops), a lady who was on the Mayflower and sheep in the park, I think we covered a wide range of subjects, and we could easily create a list of “50 great things of Wisbech”! If you’d like to contribute and join in the dicussions, either join the facebook page “Wisbech Heritage Forum” or contact me and I’ll add you to an email list.
This is of course in addition to the excellent work of the Wisbech Society, Octavia Hill’s Birthplace House and others.