HTAG Guildford - Spike Project

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Spike Project

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COMMUNITY BACKED SPIKE PROJECT HITS THE LOTTERY JACKPOT

Where: The Old St Lukes Hospital Site, Warren Road, Guildford
When: 1100hrs, Friday 25th November 2005
Who: John Redpath and other members of the Charlotteville Jubilee Trust
Graham Collings, SEE Committee Member for the Heritage Lottery Fund
Anne Milton, MP for Guildford

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has awarded a grant of 1,195,000 to the Spike Community Centre project in Guildford. This lottery windfall will ensure that The Guildford 'Spike', one of the best preserved Vagrants Wards in the country, is restored and renovated for the benefit of the local community in Charlotteville, Guildford and also visitors to the area.

Over five hundred Vagrants Wards were built during the Victorian period and of these, only eight are thought to remain intact. These buildings were created as a result of the 1834 Poor Law, set up to provide basic hostel accommodation and stop vagrants from sleeping rough. When the Poor Laws were repealed in the 1930s the workhouses were adopted by local hospitals and the majority of the casual wards were left to decay or were demolished.

Thanks to the dedication of the Charlotteville Jubilee Trust and a grant of over 1 million from the HLF, the Guildford Spike will be restored and renovated, creating a fantastic community and heritage resource for local people and visitors to the area, saving a rare and threatened building from further decay and vandalism.

The Guildford Spike is of particular historic significance because it is the only ward that remains with its original cast iron stone-breaking grills intact. These were used by inmates to crush piles of stone into pieces small enough to be pushed through the grill, collected in containers and used for road building. As part of the restoration and conservation of the building, these stone breaking cells will be restored and interpretation materials created so that people have the opportunity to learn more about the history behind these unique features.

A dedicated heritage education space will also be created within the building showing how vagrants and casual workers were treated under the Victorian Poor Law system. The Vagrants Waiting Room and Wash Room will be recreated and refurbished, and information boards, audio guides and a hands-on educational journey with interpretation will be created to ensure that everyone can learn more about this fascinating part of their local heritage.

As well as conserving the important heritage features of the building, Spike be opened up to the public as a meeting and community centre for local residents, encouraging volunteer opportunities for people to get more involved in the centre. A Social Club and Coffee Room will serve all visitors to the Spike and a children's nursery will also be created to provide much needed child care support in the area.

Tessa Hilder, Regional Manager for the Heritage Lottery Fund, said: "This project will not only protect this historically significant building, giving it a new future as a much needed community facility, it will also enable local people and visitors to learn about the history of the Spike. The commitment of the local community to the project has been inspiring and we wish them luck as they take the project forward."

John Redpath of the Charlotteville Jubilee Trust, said; "We look forward to working with the Heritage Lottery Fund and English Heritage on this exciting project; it offers so many opportunities both for the Nation's heritage and to our community. We are grateful to Guildford Borough Council and the Heritage Lottery Fund for their commitment to this project which we see as an example of what a community organisation can achieve when given the necessary backing and support both at a local and National level."

Anne Milton, MP for Guildford commented, "This vital funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund will help to provide a much needed resource for the local community in Charlotteville, as well as protecting a rare, Grade II listed building. We look forward to work starting on this fantastic project and applaud the Charlotteville Jubilee Trust for all their hard work in pulling this bid together."

-ends-

Notes to editors:
Heritage Lottery Fund
The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) enables communities to celebrate, look after and learn more about our diverse heritage. From our great museums and historic buildings to local parks and beauty spots or recording and celebrating traditions, customs and history, HLF grants open up our nation's heritage for everyone to enjoy. We have supported more than 16,500 projects, allocating over 3.3 billion across the UK.

Further information
Please contact Claire Jackson on 020 7591 6102 (claireja@hlf.org.uk). Website www.hlf.org.uk

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