Heritage News 19 - South Derbyshire District Council

WHO KNOWS?
Telling Shardlows story..
...
Sheila Cooke, who lives in Shardlow, maintains the Shardlow Heritage Trust’s extensive collection
of historic documentation, assembled from a wide a variety of sources. Her work underpins the
exhibits and explanatory texts on show at the Shardlow Heritage Centre, which is open from
12noon to 5pm on Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays until the end of October.
The Centre is on the canal bank by the car park of the well-known Clock Warehouse and is well
worth a visit while you are in the area. In this piece, Sheila tells us how she came to be involved....
“Shardlow Heritage Centre is ten years
old this year. Thousands of visitors have
enjoyed the displays, and all the
volunteers have gained great pleasure
and satisfaction from setting up
exhibitions, guiding walks around the
village and meeting people from all over
the world. For me, however, it has meant
much more, as it helped to save me
during one of the most difficult periods
of my life.
“After many years as the Local Studies
Librarian for Nottinghamshire I had to
give up work, as a chronic condition
meant years of operations,
physiotherapy and enforced inactivity.
The plan had been to do craft and
needlework, but this soon drove me to distraction
accompanied by a growing lack of self worth. The climb
out of depression began with a gift of research material on
Shardlow from a friend who was moving out of the area;
but what really brought my brain back to life was the offer
from Mansfield Brewery to the village of space in a building
next to their new pub and restaurant, for use as a museum.
“The Brewery put in new walls, heating and lighting.
Volunteers built a replica of a narrow boat cabin, set up a
•“The ‘Clock Warehouse’ prior to conversion.
(Brighouse Collection / www.picturethepast.org.uk)
‘forge’ and blacksmiths tools, and with very little money
and photocopies of documents and photographs mounted
on coloured card, we made our first small exhibition. By
visiting Libraries, Record Offices and Museums and talking
to local people (who at first declared that nothing had
survived) the collection has kept growing year by year
including deeds, maps and photograph albums.
“As I slowly gained strength, but little mobility, we began
to offer guided walks around the inland port area of the
village. I soon realized that the route was suitable for me
on my electric scooter - I just had to learn how to slow
down so the group didn’t arrive at each vantage point at a
run and out of breath!
“The final big challenge was to brave new technology and
set up a website. I have to own up, however, that although
I did the planning and content, my husband did the technical
bit. We have received thousands of hits from all over the
world, even including some that are not from family
historians!
•Sheila by the canal with her scooter
Heritage News - 7
“Last, but not least, I would like to say a huge thankyou to
the people of Shardlow and all the visitors to the Heritage
Centre.”