Radbourne History & Archaeology Group (RHAG) is a relatively new heritage group established in the winter of 2016-17. They are a community group whose main aim is to explore and develop the history and heritage of the village of Radbourne. RHAG aim to engage not only the residents of the village, but also nearby communities, schools and young people, in discovering and learning about the history of the village. 

​ 

Their  first project was to see if they could find the ‘old hall’. Its whereabouts have long been the subject of speculation among villagers past and present, and it was thought to be located within the parkland of the current Radbourne Hall, which was built in the first half of the 18th century. RHAG were able to get a rapid walkover archaeological survey carried out, and it identified a number of possible medieval or post-medieval features in the Parkland. Documentary research by the group found evidence of the existence of a large, medieval period manor house and it was determined that the group would aim to extend the literature search, discover more of the history of the various incarnations of Radbourne hall, what archaeological features remained and link these to the historical documents. 

​ 

In order to support such a project, they formed a steering committee to organise and submit applications to various funding bodies during 2018 and were really excited to be awarded a significant grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) as well as smaller ones from The Mick Aston Archaeology Fund and the Royal Archaeological Institute to help with scientific analysis of environmental samples. 

​ 

Commenting on the award, Lady Annie Chichester said at the time: “We are thrilled to have received support thanks to National Lottery players, and are confident the project will generate a real sense of community by encouraging participation from local people, involving schools so that young people can learn about our village, as well inviting others who share an interest in history to be active citizens with pride in their Derbyshire heritage.” 

​ 

RHAG worked with a range of professionals, including us, historians and other specialists and this helped to provide their volunteers, teachers and participants with an opportunity to develop skills and knowledge to further learn about their local heritage and its relevance. Find out more on the Radbourne History website. 

​

Further information

If you would like any further information, please contact Di Prescott (RHAG Chair).

​

Project Website: https://radbournehistory.org/

Telephone: 01298 384191

Mobile: 07956 987 930

Email: ian@enrichmentthrougharchaeology.co.uk

​

Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/andradbourne

Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AndRadbourne/