Merry Christmas!
With many thanks to all our volunteers, many new to the House through the Hub and Tourist Information Centre, we had a lovely afternoon with mince pies and mulled wine. See you next year!
News
Opening of National Cadet Museum Rooms
The National Army Cadet Force (ACF) Museum – Official Opening Victoria Cross winner, WO2 Johnson Beharry opened the National Army Cadet Force Museum in Octavia Hill’s Birthplace House, Wisbech on 11th Sept 2023 to mark Octavia’s legacy from 1889 when she established the first Independent …
Army Cadets
Octavia is well known for her work as one of the founders of the National Trust and as a social reformer. Her work as a pioneer of the Army Cadet Force generally does not receive the recognition it deserves. Although Army Cadets have been around …
Celebration of volunteers
We had a fabulous time with our volunteers old and new at the House on Sunday. We invited some friends who are sharing our story across social media and through their networks. Not all our volunteers or indeed all our friends, could come, but we’ll …
Lifeline Grant for Birthplace House
Octavia Hill’s Birthplace House in Wisbech has received a financial boost from the government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund to help fund ongoing building maintenance and repairs during the coronavirus pandemic. Lifeline grants from the Culture Recovery Fund are designed to protect heritage sites and …
Accolade for social housing hero
A government white paper setting out a new deal for social housing tenants in the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy pays tribute to the work of Wisbech-born Octavia Hill. The document, announcing proposed new laws before they are formulated in a government bill, recognizes …
Artists’ gift for animal care
A fund-raising effort in memory of a long-standing member of a Wisbech art class has raised more than £100 for animal welfare. The Octavia Hill art group raised the money in remembrance of Mrs Barbara Bullen, who had staged several exhibitions in the area. She …
Peering into town’s lost past
A snapshot of the good, the bad and the ugly history of Wisbech is being offered in a new exhibition of Lilian Ream photographs being displayed in the shop windows of three town centre businesses. The Lilian Ream Museum of the Streets Exhibition will use …
New light on lost chapter
A stained glass window commemorating a key figure in Octavia Hill’s campaign to build a better society is set for its first public viewing at the Wisbech house where she was born on Sunday (March 8). The specially commissioned work by the glass artist, Hazel …
Sound of music at museum
A mixed voice choir that rehearses in a grand room on Wisbech’s South Brink is helping to marry together the names of the town’s most famous son and daughter. The 40-strong performing group, the Clarkson Singers, which takes its name from the Wisbech-born anti-slavery campaigner, …