Some exciting news from rev Dawn Waterton from Nuneaton. Readers may remember research by Green Street's Naomi Bell about the links between this church and our own St. James. 

"I am part of a group of people at All Saints Church Chilvers Coton, Nuneaton, who are working on a new guide book for the church along with plans to celebrate, in September this year, the 70th anniversary of the re-dedication of the church in 1947, after the bombing during WW2."

"I was amazed to read on your website that St James, Bartonsham is linked to All Saints Chilvers Coton, and actually played a part in the rebuilding."

"I wonder if you could possibly [get in touch] as I'm sure we will have lots to talk about, and we would love you to be a part of our celebrations."

Stand by for further developments...

A planning application to demolish historic cottages built by John Venn on Kyrle Street will be turned down by Herefordshire Council, officers say.

The Masonic Housing Trust had applied to demolish the two existing dwellings to facilitate redevelopment of 9 residential apartments with associated car parking, cycles and refuse stores.

A number of objections had been received, including from the City Council and Civic Society, on grounds of historical and architectural merit, the purpose of the original buildings, and environmental considerations around the density of the new development.

We hope to publish information on the history of these buildings shortly.

An active local history group has called on Herefordshire Council to halt the demolition of the Old Army Barracks on Harold Street by Hereford Cathedral School to clear space for new build student accommodation. The group believes that the existing building is important to the area and could be adapted.

Writing to the Council on behalf of the group, Tony Taylor said: 'The Old Barracks are of important local historical and cultural significance. We strongly support the views of the Planning Officers  that the applicant should be encouraged to accommodate the proposed end use without the need for wholesale demolition.'

'It will always be the case that incorporating and adapting existing buildings for new purposes is challenging and may involve additional expense. However, we feel that the local significance of this building fully justifies the effort required. We do not accept the applicant has fully explored the possibilities but has chosen to take the easy option to go for complete demolition.

The planning application can be viewed here and although general consultation ended on September 1st, comments directly to the Case Officer can still be made.
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Further details about the building and local concerns can be found in our Topics Section.

Herefordshire Libraries are a valuable resource for those of us interested in history, and they are under threat once again. A decision will be made about their future in October. In the meantime, Herefordshire Council is asking users to complete a questionnaire, either online, or copies can be picked up in your library. Please do have your say, as the more people do take part, the more support is indicated for the libraries. Hereford Library Users groups can be contacted here.

The River Carnival is nearly here! Drop in at The Pavilion for the History Group's special River Exhibition on Saturday between 10 and 4. We also need helpers to welcome and interview people who drop in about their memories of the area. If you can help, please let Bill know.

The grant application by the Bartonsham Row Ditch Community Archaeology Project was considered by the Heritage Lottery Fund last week & unfortunately was not passed. Many successful projects do not receive funding on their first application. The volume of applications on this occasion was particularly high & the HLF is keen to support the project. We are being encouraged to make some amendments & apply for reconsideration at an early date. Stay tuned!

Did you used to live in Bartonsham? Do you have memories you'd be happy to share? The History Group will be at the Pavilion on Castle Green all day at the River Carnival on 30th April.

We would welcome any stories or pictures you can contribute to the local history of the area.

Do pop in for a visit, or email us here.

We had a great turnout to our Historical Walk this morning. Thanks to all our speakers for revealing some 'Quite Interesting' but little known facts about our area. Full write ups to follow, but for now here are some photos of our itinerary. Feel free to add information and comments!