In September, Blackley Baptist Church, near Elland threw open the doors to share her wealth of architectural and cultural history dating back over 219 years as part of the national Heritage Open Days Scheme.
As a local lad, the building on the hill top and the congregation have been connected to my family since 1950 when my mum and grandma started to attend services. When I first heard about this project I instantly decided I had to be involved and help in anyway possible with the graphics. I felt it was important to try and show Blackley through the ages in the rich informative manner, sympathetic to their location, based on old photos, memorabilia and memories of the congregation. I created three history panels in banner form for ease of storage (1842-1926 pictured), one Baptists Today panel and an illustrated Church guide to compliment the graphic backdrops.
The whole open days experience incorporated a weekend full of activities, guided tours around the historic building, Church records and memorabilia on display, a celebration Church Service including a short play about the history of the church and a evening of popular song from the local Marsh Ladies Choir, attended by the Mayor & Mayoress of Calderdale.
Mr Steve Harvie, Minister of Blackley Baptist Church, said: “ The panels Tim designed were central to telling the story of our Church and worked extremely well with the co-ordinated guide book. The panels were an excellent solution to creating something that would give visitors the information they needed for the Heritage Open Days event without the need to erect heavy display boards. Tim did a brilliant job in putting together the right amount of text and illustration. We can store the banners away and put them up wherever and whenever we want to. When we had the concert in the main church, for example, we moved the panels to the downstairs hall where people read them during the interval. It was a very successful weekend with so many visitors saying how much they had enjoyed coming to see us”
To find out more about Blackley Baptist Church please visit www.blackleychurch.org.uk
Heritage Open Days were established in 1994 as England’s contribution to European Heritage Days, in which 49 countries now participate. Organized by volunteers, Heritage Open Days celebrates England’s architecture and culture by allowing visitors free access to interesting properties that are either not usually open, or would normally charge an entrance fee. Heritage Open Days also includes tours, events and activities that focus on local architecture and culture. The Open Days are England’s biggest and most popular voluntary cultural event. Last year the event attracted around 1 million visitors. English Heritage gives central co-ordination and a national voice to the event. People from all walks of life who care about and take pride in the environment they live in make Heritage Open Days happen.
To find out more about this years Heritage Open Days please visit www.heritageopendays.org.uk
