KE ynsHaM HigH sTrEET HERITAgE ACTI oN ZoNE

Keynsham Local Cultural Programme Updates

It has been a busy year for Keynsham’s Local Cultural Programme. April saw the launch of KINGS & COMMONERS IN KEYNSHAM, a new interactive walking tour from Show of Strength Theatre Company. Keep your eyes peeled for more from Show of Strength in the coming year.

In May, six community grants were awarded to community groups and artists running arts and heritage activities over the coming year. The first of these saw Keynsham Music Festival bringing their festivities to Riverside Square for the first time. Bath Strings Academy Quartet performed to a rapt audience, while Bristol String Quartet wowed with a set celebrating the music of G. F. Handel. Meanwhile, B&NES Music Hub offered musical instrument workshops and ArtSpace held a pop-up art gallery.

Other forthcoming funded activities include photography projects by Clare Anderson, Snap and Stroll and Keynsham in Bloom; a pop-up museum curated by local heritage groups; and a High Street memories film with Community at 67.

COMING UP:

Keynsham Heritage Open Days 2023 – 8-17 September

The National Festival is back this September as part of Keynsham’s High Street Cultural Programme.

Heritage Open Days is England’s largest community-led festival of history and culture. It’s your chance to see hidden places and try out new experiences – and it’s all free!

Whether you’re an adult, teenager or toddler, there will be something for everyone. Events include:

Keynsham Pop-Up Exhibition

Sharing fascinating stories from Keynsham’s medieval and industrial histories and displaying - for the first time in Keynsham - exquisite decorative stone artefacts from the abbey (Keynsham MakeSpace; 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17 September)

Hidden Histories at Durley Hill Cemetery

Drop in and discover this peaceful Victorian burial ground and learn how it became a major Roman archaeological site in the 1920s (Durley Hill Cemetery; 17 September)

Albert Mill – Open Day

A walk-through history with many pieces of original machinery and displays of photographs, a historical timeline, a family quiz, and refreshments in the beautiful gardens (Albert Mill; 9 and 10 September)

Creativity Snapped! – Our Heritage in Photographs

A photographic display of Keynsham’s High Street heritage, created by Snap & Stroll in collaboration with young people locally (Temple Street Canteen; 8, 9, 11, 12, 14, 15, 17 September)

Keynsham Abbey Site – Open Day

Wander around the remains of this significant Medieval Abbey, founded in 1166, and experience a guided tour given by local experts (Keynsham Memorial Park; 9 and 16 September)

Fry’s Somerdale – Then and Now

Enjoy a guided tour and walks around Somerdale, originally the home of a factory producing some of Cadbury’s most famous products (Somerdale Shed and Community Garden; 16 September)

Visit www.hikeynsham.co.uk/whats-on/ for visitor information and the most up-to-date event listings.

Keynsham High Street Heritage Action Zone Updates

Temple Street Public Space Improvements

The latest phase of heritage led improvements to Temple Street has now been completed.

Wider pavements, cycle hoops, new planters and parklets have been installed to improve Keynsham’s conservation area and enhance the views of the street in both directions. There is also better disabled parking and improved lighting and drainage.

The parklets have been co-designed by the community and feature written information and graphics about Keynsham’s ammonites and the Town’s connections to the fabric dye industry. A community planting event took place in June, attended by Keynsham in Bloom, residents from Riverside, and local businesses.

Shopfront Improvements

Developments for Temple Street will continue later this year, with shop front renovations for Temple Street Canteen and Savour along with improvements to the upper levels of 20 – 28 Temple Street.

About The Programmes

Keynsham High Street Heritage Action Zone (HS HAZ) is a heritage led renewal programme, making Keynsham High Street a place where people want to live, work and play. It has been funded by Historic England, with match funding provided by Keynsham Town Council and Bath & North East Somerset (B&NES) Council.

Attached to the HS HAZ programme is Keynsham’s Local Cultural Programme, part of Historic

England’s National Cultural Programme. It is funded by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport’s Heritage High Street Fund; the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s Future High Streets Fund; and the National Lottery Heritage Fund.