Historic Buildings

Spirit of Place

‘Spirit of Place’ is a heritage and visitor engagement project about Cumbria’s churches. This project will help connect people and communities with their past: we want to protect and cherish the tangible and intangible heritage found within churches and groups of churches, whilst creatively sharing this knowledge with all. Church heritage is more than just an old building: it is the richly layered narratives of human life, culture and local identity left behind by communities and individuals in the objects within churches which they commissioned and donated. Working with volunteers, we will record the historic, artistic, and commemorative value of those objects, research their individual significance, interpret their importance as overall collections, and then communicate the stories and legacies contained in that heritage to the public, to visitors and pilgrims, and to other stakeholders. This will make an important and lasting contribution to valuing our national and local cultural heritage.