About

Fabrica, in partnership with Strike A Light and Brighton & Hove Library Services, has received £9,300 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for a project, The Boys on the Plaque, in Brighton & Hove. Awarded through HLF’s First World War: then and now programme, the project will highlight a recently uncovered FWW memorial plaque situated in the former Holy Trinity Church which houses Fabrica gallery.

Supported by a team of archivists, artists and historians, the local community will come together through research, creative activities and heritage events to discover the hidden histories of the 95 soldiers commemorated on the plaque and consider the personal experiences of ordinary people during the war.

A team of volunteers received training and accessed local archives to research and collect the stories of The Boys on the Plaque through genealogy, photographs, newspaper clippings, documents, letters and photos of keepsakes, as well as family tales passed down, to help them build an understanding of what life was really like during this time.

Activities with local older and younger groups used creativity and reminisence to further explore these experiences and create new legacies for our local history. A series of Conversation Café’s with members of The University of the Third Age will explore local knowledge, personal mementos and family history through discussion and shared discovery. Younger people connected to the personal histories of The Boys on the Plaque at creative graffiti workshops, considering memorium and identity through contemporary practice.

A range of public events for all ages shared what we have found and provide opportunities for our local community to come together to remember and learn more about the First World War.

The Boys on the Plaque represent so many of the sons, brothers, fathers and uncles who fought and fell in the First World War, and this project pay tribute to these men by telling their stories and considering the wider impact on the local community.

In 2017 it was the Bi-Centennial of this church, which was built in 1817, and it was a fitting time to honour and celebrate the history of the building and its continuing presence as a place of contemplation and community in Brighton & Hove.

The project findings was digitally recorded and an on-line interactive archive created where everyone can access and contribute information. The archive allows the public to discuss, contribute, share and research information about The Boys on the Plaque. Working with Strike A Light and Brighton & Hove Library Services brings the project to the wider community through exhibitions and resources, to continue the legacy of The Boys on the Plaque into the future.

For further information, images and interviews, please contact

Clare Hankinson, Project Manager – The Boys on the Plaque

Fabrica, 40 Duke Street, BN1 AGH

01273 778646 / clare.hankinson@fabrica.org.uk

boysontheplaque.wordpress.com

@fabricagallery #boysontheplaque

About the team

Fabrica is a contemporary art gallery in the heart of Brighton’s historic Lanes. Based in the former Holy Trinity Church, Fabrica responds to the building and it’s history through a programme of site-specific exhibitions and a diverse engagement programme, using creative and social activity to provoke investigation into how audiences look at the world.

Strike A Light is local voluntary arts and heritage organisation using people’s life stories and memories to transform public and private spaces, specialising in intergenerational projects and working with people in the third age.

Brighton and Hove Libraries Services‘ 14 Libraries are uniquely placed in the heart of communities. Libraries champion creativity and creative thinking, working in partnership with other organisations to support local people to engage in national and local initiatives and cultural activities and the development of libraries into community hubs which reflect and represent the communities they serve. More than one million people visited Brighton’s Jubilee Library last year making it the second most popular library in the country.
Heritage Lottery Fund
From the archaeology under our feet to the historic parks and buildings we love, from precious memories and collections to rare wildlife, we use National Lottery players’ money to help people across the UK explore, enjoy and protect the heritage they care about.