Heritage sites to be awarded £75,000 in grants

7 hours ago

Aimee DexterCambridgeshire

News image — The nature poet John Clare was born at the cottage in Helpston in 1793

John Clare Cottage A white cottage with a thatched roof is behind a fence in the background. In front is a small garden with different types of flowers and a small tree which is on the left. — The nature poet John Clare was born at the cottage in Helpston in 1793

Two landmarks near Peterborough have been awarded £75,000 in grant funding from Historic England.

John Clare Cottage in Helpston, the birthplace of the nature poet, has received £22,500 to fund investigative works on the Grade II listed building.

A further £52,500 was awarded for the acquisition of additional land at Norman Cross, a historic prisoner-of-war depot in Yaxley.

Tony Calladine, East of England regional director at Historic England said: "This funding ensures that those stories survive and that communities can take pride in the remarkable heritage on their doorstep."

John Clare Cottage had required a survey on the building's condition, looking at timber decay and the effect of damp.

Keira Harvey, chief executive of John Clare Cottage, said the funding would allow them to "better understand the conditions and needs" of the site and to make a long-term strategy for further fundraising and repairs.

"This support helps us to protect the place where Clare spent his formative years, while sharing his powerful message of our shared and timeless right to nature," she said.

Peterborough Museum & Art Gallery Ancient drawing of Norman Cross prisoner of war camp shows a large fenced-off square area divided into four squares. There are watch towers on the north and south edges of the square with people visible in three of the smaller squares, with the remaining smaller square green coloured with what look like gardens. — Norman Cross opened in 1797 as Britain's first purpose-built military prison

Historic England Archive Aerial view of a green field surrounded by hedges. Beneath the ground lies the remains of the Norman Cross Camp. — The site housed about 7,000 European prisoners during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars

Historic England said funding would allow Nene Park Trust to purchase 2.4 hectares (about six acres) of additional land at the Norman Cross site.

It builds on the acquisition of the main area, which was funded by Historic England and The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The site opened up to members of the public last year.

Matthew Bradbury, chief executive of Nene Park Trust, said it was "grateful" for the grant.

"By bringing the entire site under our ownership, we can ensure that even more of this scheduled monument is protected and offer further future opportunities for visitors and wider interpretation of the site," he said.

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