First World War Centenary - Exhibition and Concert at St. Paul's Church, Wightman Road

Hi folks!

As some of you may already know from previous posts, at St. Paul's, Harringay we've been busy researching the parish records, initially to find out about the war memorials that were in the old church, but now expanding (I think almost exponentially!) to include research on the men named on the memorial and the church's roll of honour (which listed men from the parish who joined up, regardless of their outcome in the war) and more about life in the parish at the time. The records relate to men who lived in the parish, regardless of whether they attended the church, so present a broader view than one might expect.  While we have presented some of our findings on our Harringay Remembers website, we are also planning an exhibition for November to show some of the things we have found out and a few artifacts we have, and to give visitors a chance to find out whether a soldier or a conscientious objector lived in their house or on their street through an interactive mapping exercise (that's a more eloquent way of saying we'll be sticking pins in maps).

The exhibition will take place on Saturday, 8 and Sunday, 9 November at St. Paul's Church on Wightman Road. It will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the Saturday and 12.30 p.m. to 5 p.m. on the Sunday (the church will have its Remembrance Sunday service at 10.30 that day).

On the Saturday, we will also have talks given (at 2 p.m.) by Jennifer Bell of Hornsey Historical Society about the conscientious objectors who lived in the area, including some individuals' stories and (at 3 p.m.) by me, Bethany Burrow Atherton (organist at the church and co-ordinator of the Harringay Remembers project), about the research I've been doing on the soldiers and the church during the First World War.

Entry to the exhibition is free, but there will be a collection box available for donations to church funds, should you feel so moved.

As if this wasn't enough excitement for one weekend, we have another treat in store for you! With my Music on the Ladder hat on, we'd like to invite you to a concert at 7.30 p.m. on Saturday, 8 November, also at St. Paul's Church. The concert, entitled "Keep the Home Fires Burning", will include choral works, solo pieces and a few audience sing-alongs, all connected with the First World War and encompassing a variety of genres, including music hall standards and sacred music. The choir will be conducted by David Went and accompaniment will be provided by Michael Haslam. Soloists will include Hannah Leonard and Anthony Harbottle.

Entry to the concert is free, but there will be a retiring collection (suggested donation £5). Refreshments will be available during the interval and after the concert, when (in accordance with Music on the Ladder tradition!) there will be the opportunity to chat with the performers and fellow audience members.

This concert forms part of Superact's The Last Post project and both the concert and the exhibition are part of the Imperial War Museums' First World War Centenary Partnership.

I hope to see some familiar faces at both events, and to meet plenty of new ones!