The Bluebird Heritage Trail

The Bluebird Heritage Trail: Meeting on 13/09/17

A talk about the Bluebird Heritage Trail, launched in August 2016, was given to club members by Derek Leach, local historian, writer and Chairman of the Dover Society.  While the White Cliffs and Castle are iconic images of Dover there are many other little known historic treasures in the town.  In January 2014 the Port of Dover and Community Forum was established to consider ideas to help with regeneration by attracting visitors into the heart of the town as well as raising awareness in the local community.  From this the Bluebird Heritage trail was born.

A Steering Group, led by Derek, developed the project, deciding on the heritage assets to include, the route with 34 bronze pavement markers; a booklet, website and App were also planned.  A grant application for £59,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund was successful and Dover Harbour Board contributed £5,000 to cover the estimated cost.  One requirement of the grant was that there should be funding to guarantee maintenance of the trail for ten years; this was secured from Dover Town and District Councils and the Dover Society.  Another requirement was public engagement in the project so in December 2015 workshops on local history, graphic design and website/App design were set up using Dover Library resources.  Local schools and businesses were involved and social media helped to publicise the project.  The website and Application were then produced, the pavement markers designed and installed, the booklet finalised and the Trail tested by volunteers.

Thanks to the hard work of Derek and his team Dover now has a Heritage Trail of 2 ½ miles which includes 31 historic sites and monuments; a valuable addition to the regeneration of the town.

For more information and to download the free App go to: www.doverbluebirdtrail.org.uk