PHOTOGRAPHS of Petrockstowe past and present will be put on display later this month by the village?s local history group, thanks to the backing of the Local Heritage Initiative. Petrockstowe Local History Group was awarded a £9,786 grant from the LHI in February for its ?Past and Present? project. The grant has already allowed members to undertake a number of projects. But the next event is more ambitious: an all-day photo exhibition of Petrockstowe Past and Present. The group hopes that visitors to the event will bring any old slides or photographs they have of the village, so they might be copied and added to the collection. All photographs are returned to their owners and there will also be the opportunity to buy copies of the group?s pictures on the day. Other organisations and individuals have been invited to take part in the exhibition. Those who have agreed to supply pictures include Torrington Museum, Clinton Estate Archive, George Copp (clay works/railway and Quarry Hill?s past, present and hope for the future) and Brian Barrow with his wealth of wartime information. The photographs go on display on Saturday, September 24, between 10am and 8pm in the Baxter Hall, Petrockstowe. If people are unable to bring photos along on the day but would like to contribute to the project they can contact Jennie or Mic on 01837 811158. More information about the group?s projects is also available on http://www.petrockstowe-local-history.org.uk">www.petrockstowe-local-history.org.uk The aim of the Present and Past project grants is to allow communities to produce a book, leaflet and digital archive of their area and hold events in conjunction. Since receiving the grant, the group has been very active, several members have visited the Clinton Estate Archive in South Devon. Until 1958, the village was part of the Clinton Estate. Members have also visited the North Devon Records Office where they were given a tour and a guide of how to use the indexes and resources to access material. The group has also held two talks, one given by local man George Copp about the local clay works and railway, and the other by Terry Faul about Holy Wells and St Petrock. Both events were well attended. The group also puts on displays at local village events such as the village produce show. In August the group put up a display of old school photos, including a class from the 1950s ? by the end of the event almost all the missing names were known! There are still many pictures to put names to, as the photo archive of the village continues to grow. Interestingly, some photographs show very little change to parts of the village while other areas have changed dramatically. Villagers also took part in a competition to create an alphabet leaflet about the village. The entries will be used to create the final leaflet. The LHI is a partnership between the Heritage Lottery Fund, Nationwide Building Society and the Countryside Agency.
