Park history funding boost (From Knutsford Guardian)
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Park history funding boost
6:00pm Monday 15th October 2012 in News
By James Wilson
A POPULAR project detailing the history of Tatton Park and Knutsford has received a huge boost thanks to Arts Council funding.
This week Arts Council England announced that the park will be among three organisations in the north west which will receive grants through the ‘Renaissance Strategic’ support fund for English museums in 2012/13.
A total of 82 organisations in England have received the news that their applications for cash were successful, which will see Tatton Park receive £63,000 in funding to support its Hidden Histories project.
The project will add to existing research to promote knowledge and understanding about the people who lived and worked at Tatton over the centuries and the relationship between Tatton and Knutsford.
Brendan Flanagan, Tatton Park and visitor economy manager, said: “The Arts Council funding will enable us to achieve another element of the ‘Tatton Park Vision’, a five-year programme for our visitor activities, with the aim of substantially developing the visitor experience by increasing the attractions and activities on offer.
“This is a timely and welcome boost to our work in understanding and making use of our museum archives, ultimately leading to improvements in how our visitors experience the mansion and its collections.”
Caroline Schofield, Tatton’s mansion and collections manager, said: “This project will give us an opportunity to investigate the stories of Tatton’s history, starting with the servants and staff who worked for the Egerton family, and also the family themselves.
“Grand country houses are not just about their fine collections, they are also about people and community.
“Hidden Histories gives us funding to kick-start new ways for our visitors to learn about and experience Tatton and capitalise on the skills of various experts and volunteers.
“Learning from the project will also be shared with the wider museum community to promote skills development and to open up opportunities.”
