What is Bishop’s Castle Heritage Resource Centre?
Bishop’s Castle Heritage Resource Centre is a local heritage store and activity centre celebrating local history and keeping it within the area for people to use and enjoy
The Project Background
Bishop’s Castle is a small market town situated in a remote, largely agricultural region of
south west Shropshire. Due to its geographical remoteness local heritage in Bishop’s Castle
has enjoyed a degree of protection from outside influences, resulting in the town retaining
much of its historic character. A strong sense of heritage has given rise to numerous active
local history organisations.
In 2000 the interests of these various groups converged, when the opportunity arose to acquire an early 19th century Chapel for use as a heritage resource centre. In September 2003 the lead partner in this collaboration, the House on Crutches Museum Trust, was awarded a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund and support funding from Shropshire County Council to purchase this building, and soon after building work began. By October 2004 conversion work was completed and on the 31st October the Centre was officially opened. Its architect designed interior now provides the community with secure museum-standard storage, a multi purpose activity space, a growing database for research and on-line access, wet and dry preparation and conservation areas, IT workstations and a range of educational services and resources. A small charge is levied for use of these facilities (link to charges) and from October 2006 the Centre, which is run by volunteers, will be self-funding. BCHRC is ideally situated in the heart of the town and close to both the existing museums. With various collections from local organisations and individuals now housed at the Centre we can begin to fulfill our main purpose of helping people learn about and enjoy the heritage of this very special town
