The Building Bournville project seeks to give communities living in and around the Bournville area the opportunity to delve deeper into its working class history, bringing to light stories that have not typically been told.
The traditional narrative of Bournville’s heritage centres on individual key figures within the Cadbury family, namely the two brothers George and Richard Cadbury.
Whilst their stories of founding the village of Bournville, Bournville Village Trust, and the Cadbury Factory are an important part of the local heritage, it is the stories of the working class people during this industrial time that have been forgotten or left aside.
These histories include: working women, Cadbury factory workers, the builders involved in the construction of Bournville, or workers on the crucial transport networks in and out of Bournville, amongst many others. There are also specific buildings that may have stories to reveal, such as the Cadbury Club, Ruskin Hall and the Day Continuation School.
Funded by Historic England, Building Bournville will provide an opportunity for community volunteers to research these aspects of Bournville’s heritage. Their work will be showcased at Bournville Heritage Open Day 2023 on Saturday 9th September. If you would like to know more about this project, please contact India Wilson, Bournville Heritage Officer, by emailing indiawilson@bvt.org.uk