Children receiving a donation cheque for taking part in the project.

THE PROJECT

The Project worked with local schools, community groups, businesses, present and past residents of East Acton in order to discover, celebrate and learn from the history of East Acton.

Savoy Circus, East Acton where the old and new towns meet

THE PROJECT HISTORY

Acton Arts Forum are pleased to announce that we have been successful in our application for a £65,900 Heritage Lottery Fund grant for the project entitled ‘East Acton: Old Town, New Town’

In 1801 there were only 241 inhabited houses in East Acton ward, whereas today it has a ballooning population of over 18,000 with 7,000 new residents projected by 2026.

East Acton ‘Old Town’ was first mentioned as a village in 1280, and the town was the site of a major Civil War battle in 1642. Most of East Acton was inherited by the Goldsmiths’ company from John Perryn.  The area was a favoured retreat for the wealthy and influential from the late 1500s until a century ago, in part due to the spa of Acton Wells.

East Acton ‘New Town’ is the site north of the A40 where the golf links became a housing estate in 1920 and was also developed with homes for soldiers after WWI.

At present the area is about to undergo an unprecedented level of change, with enormous developments planned for Old Oak Common and Park Royal, and major Crossrail and HS2 hubs. This project will explore, celebrate and bring to light the area’s heritage as it moves forwards.  Acton Arts Forum plan to launch this 16 month project in April 2015.

Robbie Pearson, Chair of Acton Arts Forum commented “the Acton Arts Forum continues to champion creativity in our part of London amongst an incredible diversity of both people and artistic endeavour; this new project will be a significant addition to that work.”

The Project will engage residents from across East Acton’s small neighbourhoods, diverse communities and ages to participate.  We will work with John Perryn Primary and East Acton Primary to engage young people with the project and as participants.  Grassroots voluntary organisations are keen to participate as partners and contributors.  We will train participants in oral history, research, photography, filming and website creation, and will film and record oral histories from a selection of residents.  Research will reveal photographs and documents showing East Acton as it was and how it is changing, with photography of sites about to be demolished, historic sites, ‘then-and-now’ comparison photos with archive photos. We will also organise East Acton heritage walks/tours. The project will culminate in a touring exhibition destined for the local school and community venues. The Arts Forum will build dedicated webpages as a permanent virtual exhibition.  We are also planning a permanent piece of commemorative work to form a lasting legacy for the East Acton Heritage Project.

Sue Bowers, Head of Heritage Lottery Fund London said: “This project gives local people the opportunity to gain a range of skills while uncovering the history of their area and presenting their findings to a wider audience.”