We worked with Taleblazers as part of our ‘High Street Histories’ project this year and we have to say, we were delighted! The school staff, pupils and parents were all full of positive feedback and we loved their enthusiasm, energy and detailed approach. They have ignited the minds of so many young people who now see Cullompton in new light. Thanks Taleblazers for bringing our Towns’s story to life!
Vik Westaway, Creative Cullompton
We are delighted to be involved in this project, which is bringing to life the rich history of Cullompton town centre. Volunteers have been researching and recording the story of the town and we have been running a series of workshops for local schools based on the tales they have found. This has been a really interesting project for us and there has been so much cool stuff to explore! Cullompton has a long and rich history, from the Romans through King Alfred and the prosperity of the Middle Ages, and there is plenty to explore when you start to scratch the surface. We’ve learned about the Witches Marks of the Walronds and the medieval Golgotha of St Andrews Church; the tales of Tom Austin the murderous highwayman and the Fire of Cullompton; and hopefully shared some of those stores in a fun way so that the next generation of storytellers will keep the old tales alive. You can find some of them below, as well of details of the school sessions we ran and a podcast where we discussed Cullompton and the High Street project with Vik and Hannah of Creative Cullompton.
Creative Cullompton is funded by Historic England as part of the High Street Heritage Action Zone to create and deliver a community-led three year programme to breathe new life into the High Street and celebrate Cullompton’s heritage by bringing new exciting creative and cultural activities to the heart of Cullompton.
- Creative Cullompton Roman Festival – Gallery
We were delighted to receive some photos through from Creative Cullompton, taken of Stacey working on the mosaic with visitors. Thank you to Kathy Coley Photography for allowing us to use these great pictures! - Creative Cullompton Roman Festival
Our part in Cullompton Roman festival, which celebrated not only Roman Cullompton, but the recent archeological digs at the Hill Fort. - Podcast – Creative Cullompton
With guests Vik and Hannah of Creative Cullompton. In the podcast we talk about the amazing Golgotha at St Andrews Church, enthuse about the sheer volume of the local schoolchildren, discuss Creative Cullompton’s next projects and hint darkly at the time Kev nearly got off the train in the wrong county. - Cullompton School Workshops
Our role in this project has been to deliver educational sessions to the two primary schools in Cullompton. Here we talk about the structure of the sessions and inspiration behind the educational content we delivered. - The Great Fire of Cullompton
One of the lesser-known stories of Cullompton is that of the great fire of 1839. We used this tale as the centrepiece of our sessions, and the children had great fun retelling it themselves. - The Gory Story of Tom Austin
On the High Street project we have featured a heavily-edited version of the story of Tom Austin, a local highwayman, and Kev has been absolutely desperate to tell the whole tale in a less sanitised format. Here it is. It’s pretty gruesome. - Apotropaic Marks
Visiting the Walronds we found these interesting circular carvings on the fireplaces and doorways. This is the fascinating story of the witches’ marks, also known as apotropaic marks, scratched into surfaces to stop evil spirits from gaining access to the room.