Woodlanders’ Lives & Landscapes Woodlanders’ Lives & Landscapes
that were so fashionable at that time and If you’d be interested taking part, we’d love The Chilterns as we know it today is a beautiful that were made in centres like Luton and to hear from you. There are lots of ways to landscape of woods and picturesque Dunstable. Lace making and straw plaiting get involved: researching people, villages villages. But, in the past, it was also a busy was low-paid piece-work done at home and, or trades; interviewing local people; writing industrial environment where people made unsurprisingly, employed mostly women. stories; or giving talks and tours. There is help and training and you’ll meet their livings in the woods and cottages other enthusiastic volunteers. in trades like straw plaiting, lace making You can find out more at and furniture making. Woodlanders’ Lives www.chilternsaonb.org / (delivered by a partnership between the woodlanders-lives or by Chilterns Conservation Board and Bucks getting in touch with Helena New University) is a new project whose Chance Helena.chance@bucks. volunteer researchers are busy uncovering ac.uk, 01494 522141 ext 4105. the fascinating stories of how the people who worked in these industries went about Woodlanders is one of the their ordinary daily lives. You can see some eighteen projects in the of these stories on the project’s blog page www.chilternsaonb.org/woodlanders- A nostalgic view of a plait school, where young children worked long Chalk, Cherries and Chairs scheme, funded by the lives/stories. days. From Cassell’s Family Magazine, 1882 National Heritage Lottery, We are especially keen to find out more Children, sometimes as young as three or which encourages local people to get about the straw plait and lace trades that four, could also be put to these tasks. Straw involved with the history, the environment were such a part of the history of the plaiting seems to have largely died out by and the wildlife of the Central Chilterns. area just to the east of Wendover. Plaiters the early twentieth century but lace making You can find out about the other projects at made the long strips for the straw hats lasted a little longer. www.chilternsaonb.org/projects/CCC
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Wendover News April 2020
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