Originally a workhouse, the building of Wellington Library is teeming with history. Students from Wrekin View Primary School were already familiar with the stories of the people who had lived in the workhouse through the Wellington Workhouse Find Your Talent project, but they hadn’t considered the building’s future.
Wellington Library © Shropshire Archives
Working with Liz Young from Shropshire Archives, as part of the 2009/10 Engaging Places network, teacher Clare Churchill decided to develop the Wellington Workhouse project further to encourage her key stage 2 students to:
- work more independently
- improve their teamwork skills
- give them the skills and opportunity to contribute to the regeneration of their local area
- introduce them to new careers.
Library research
The students began by zooming out and looking at Walker Street. Comparing the different buildings, investigating building materials, patterns and shapes, and finding out about their past and present uses, to understand how the street has changed and developed.
Working with Liz, they were then split into three groups to focus in on the library building. Each group was given a different phase to investigate: 1960, 1903 and 1796. They were asked to consider the architecture, the layout and use.
Getting practical
Now the students understand the library buildings’ past, they will be turning to its future. They will meet with an architect and planner, interview their peers and the wider community, and develop a proposal for the building’s future. They are hoping to present this to their local council.
Keep up to date with how ‘Look up, look back, look forwards’ develops by visiting the Engaging Places network section over the next few months.
If you would like to run a similar project with your class, take a look at these resources:
Libraries by design
Heritage explorer
The Engaging Places network
To find out about other partnerships and projects developing through the Engaging Places network visit the 2009/10 Engaging Places network article.
