south somerset

Welcome to episode 7 of ChardCast.

In this months episode join students from Holyrood School in a blue plaque walk and talk through the town. 

Have you ever wondered what life was like for the Lace Mill workers back in Victorian times? Have a listen to this fascinating episode and find out more about the history of the town and its people. Listen to the end, there’s a real insight from the students about what they’ve learnt and what they imagine a museum of the future could look like.

Thanks, as ever, to Chard Museum for making this episode possible and a big thank you to the students and the staff who accompanied us on our walk and helped out on the production process.

Don’t forget, if you have any stories to share please do contact: info@chardmuseum.co.uk


ChardCast is a project produced by Richard Tomlinson and managed by Chard Museum on behalf of Culturally Chard. It is funded through South Somerset District Council and Historic England. ChardCasts are all available via the Museum website at www.chardmuseum.co.uk

In March 2023 Chard's Ethnic Diverse Communities hosted a wonderful event called Chard Together: Chard Goes Global. It was supported by the Community Hub, Culturally Chard and Somerset Diverse Communities.

Chard Together celebrated the communities and cultures that make Chard special. It was a day of culturally diverse music, food, stories, dance and performance.

ChardCast set up a mini recording studio in the foyer of the GuildHall, and as visitors came through the doors they were asked two simple questions: 

• What do you think makes Chard such a special place?
• Can you  share your experience of the diverse community in the town?

This episode is an audio snapshot of their responses.

Don’t forget, if you have any stories to share please do contact: info@chardmuseum.co.uk

ChardCast is a project produced by Richard Tomlinson and managed by Chard Museum on behalf of Culturally Chard. It is funded through South Somerset District Council and Historic England. ChardCasts are all available via the Museum website at www.chardmuseum.co.uk

The fifth episode of ChardCast ‘Voices of Chard, the power of memories’ focuses on Oral History. 

Thanks to Sue Heward, a volunteer at Chard Museum, who describes her fascination with oral history and shares some of the stories she’s recorded over recent years.

Listen to a story from the 2nd World War, find out about an apprentice who worked at the Gillingham family firm in the 1940s and discover why it’s important to record the voices of ‘ordinary people’ - people who are actually extraordinary. These excerpts feature: Jason Hawkes, Bridget Sloley, Bob Hilton and Gordon Fowler and represent a tiny fraction of Sue's oral history recordings.

Don’t forget, if you have any stories to share please do contact: info@chardmuseum.co.uk

ChardCast is a project produced by Richard Tomlinson and managed by Chard Museum on behalf of Culturally Chard. It is funded through South Somerset District Council and Historic England. ChardCasts are all available via the Museum website at www.chardmuseum.co.uk

In the third episode of ChardCast we join children from Chard School talking about amazing inventions and inspirational inventors of Chard. Our conversation covers subjects as diverse as x rays, flying machines and prosthetic limbs. We also get to hear some of the children’s own ideas on inventions they would create in the future.

Listen to the end to hear a folk song performed by Time and Tide that explores the alterations to the land and the people when industrialisation brought innovation and progress but also great dislocation for working folk.

Chard Cast is a 12-month project produced by Richard Tomlinson and managed by Chard Museum on behalf of Culturally Chard. It is funded through South Somerset District Council and Historic England. ChardCasts are all available via the Museum website at www.chardmuseum.co.uk

In this second episode of ChardCast we join children from Manor Court Community Primary School talking about their experience of performing in Chard Carnival. There’s also a fascinating and emotional insight into carnival over the years from Steve Dawe (a ‘carnivalite’ of 30 years), Jason Baker (Chairman of Chard Carnival Committee), Claire Brown (a member of Chard Carnival Committee for ten years) and Doreen Toms (a life member of Chard Carnival Committee for 50 years).

Chard Cast is a 12-month project produced by Richard Tomlinson and managed by Chard Museum on behalf of Culturally Chard. It is funded through South Somerset District Council and Historic England. ChardCasts are all available via the Museum website at www.chardmuseum.co.uk

In this first episode of ChardCast we join volunteers at Chard Museum talking about a selection of photographs from the museum archive. Find out how some aspects of Chard have changed over the years, whilst others remain the same. There’s also an insight into the camera’s unique ability to capture, sometimes unintended, details that spark memories. Listen to the end to find out more about Chard’s ‘Famous Five’.

Chard Cast is a 12-month project managed by Chard Museum on behalf of Culturally Chard. It is funded through South Somerset District Council and Historic England. ChardCasts are all available via the Museum website at www.chardmuseum.co.uk