The Longitude Project
In recognition of the 300th anniversary of the Act of Longitude, the ‘Longitude Project’ was designed by Better Barrow Community Project in 2014 with three aims:
- to involve Y6 primary school children in first hand research about John Harrison, his time and his village
- to share this information and enthusiasm with the community
- to create a lasting record of their work.
The information the children gathered came not just from books but from people, places and objects. They listened to and questioned experts, local people and relatives; they handled cogs and levers; they reported what they had seen.
Drawing of H1, Harrison’s first
sea clock, by Y6 pupils
sea clock, by Y6 pupils
All of these experiences enabled:
- the creation of a thirty-minute play about John Harrison including the making of props and backdrops, performed on three occasions in the school;
- a parade from the school to the Market Place (in which the whole school participated); a professionally produced film;
- a digital and print archive of the children’s work and the new display in the church.
In all this the children were guided by Frances Kelly, an experienced Arts Worker from Hull who worked with class teachers Anna Crosby and Jane Portess. The Project was managed by Trevor Millum, Chair of the Better Barrow Community Project and supported by a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.