Shrovetide; Past, Present & Place : Shrovetide Football, Atherstone and Ashbourne

Shrovetide; Past, Present & Place

GRAIN Projects is delighted to announce a new project that will explore the distinct rural culture of two Midlands towns, in collaboration with local communities, in Ashbourne and Atherstone.

Shrovetide; Past, Present & Place will use the annual ritual of ‘Shrovetide Football’ to explore the heritage of the rural communities of Atherstone, Warwickshire, and Ashbourne, Derbyshire. Working collaboratively with artists and communities, utilising photography to have conversations, explore histories and share experiences, the project will focus on distinct local heritage, stories and place.

The Shrovetide football games that take place annually in Atherstone and Ashbourne in their streets and public spaces have medieval origins, and increasingly the matches are seen as eccentric rituals. For example, in Ashbourne, the town plays the game for 16 hours and the goals are three miles apart. The project will work with the communities of the market towns, through workshops and activities, will research how the football games have been represented and presented in the past, and explore these centuries-old rituals which are central to local identity.

Through photography and oral histories, the project will work in partnership with local social clubs and sports clubs to explore the significance of the football matches in terms of identity and belonging. The final output will be an exhibition, co-created with participants, and a new community archive.

The project is funded by Historic England’s Everyday Heritage programme.

Everyday Heritage  
Historic England is funding 30 new projects through its Everyday Heritage grants programme with four in the Midlands. From exploring the history of festive football matches, to rediscovering forgotten shorelines, these projects will explore untold stories and celebrate the people and places at the heart of our history, focusing on rural and coastal communities. Launched in 2022, the Everyday Heritage grants programme has already supported over 100 projects, celebrating working class histories from across England.

Four new projects are announced across the Midlands exploring stories such as a forgotten Lincolnshire coastline, the working lives of people in black country museums, and the tradition of ‘Shrovetide Football’, an annual medieval football game still played in Ashbourne, Derbyshire and Atherstone, Warwickshire.

Heritage is all around us and can be a valued source of pride to local people. Every one of the projects is socially engaged, linking people to sometimes overlooked histories and the stories behind them.  

Historic England  
Historic England are the public body that helps people care for, enjoy and celebrate England’s spectacular historic environment, from beaches and battlefields to parks and pie shops. They protect, champion and save places and care passionately about the stories they tell, the ideas they represent and the people who live, work and play among them. Working with communities and specialists Historic England share their passion, knowledge and skills to inspire interest, care and conservation, so everyone can keep enjoying and looking after the history that surrounds us all.

Image Credit: Ashbourne Shrovetide, Our Ashbourne

Copyright 2016 GRAIN.