About Us
Rowlands Castle Heritage Centre (Charity number 1174495) operating under the name Rowlands Castle History and Heritage.
Listed below is the statutory documentation for the Rowlands Castle Heritage Centre (Charity number 1174495) together with other constitutional and operational matters including those required by the Charities Commission:
The Mission Statement of the RCHC is to ‘Protect and Record the Past and Present, for the Benefit of Future Generations’. We believe this means looking after and cherishing artefacts and archives from the past, while noting and measuring aspects of today, so that we may be more aware of the continual changes going on around us. Both ‘protecting’ and ‘recording’ will encourage us to be more prepared for and perhaps more responsive to future opportunities and threats.
In 2016, the chance to purchase Peter Goss’s model railway depicting the village in 1944, led to the establishment of a registered charity, the Rowlands Castle Heritage Centre (Charity number 1174495) with the objective to “establish and maintain a museum in Rowlands Castle in order to advance the education of the public in the history and heritage of the village, its former inhabitants and the surrounding area.” Our search for museum premises continues and we aim to display the model railway as often as possible at local events, whilst simultaneously developing the website as an online museum.
The Historical Society was founded in 1988 to provide a focal point for those interested in researching, preserving and sharing the history of the village and to provide an annual season of monthly talks on historical themes, relevant to the history of the village and surrounding area, along with a season of walks and visits linked to this.
In November 2024, the Historical Society became part of the Rowlands Castle Heritage Centre
Our Joint Aims
- To provide a source of historical information on the village, providing a resource for residents of the village and those from further afield.
- To provide integration with the wider local history network, including the local archives services.
- To provide a focal point within the village for local history research, including the recording of oral history.
Management Committee 2024-25
- Alan Eyers – Chair
- Ania Shawcross – Vice Chair
- Prue Amner – Secretary
- Lorraine Moriarty – Treasurer
- Caroline Bird – Committee Member, Website Editor
- Brian Tomkinson – Committee Member, Talks and Membership
- Gordon Charlesworth – Committee Member, Model railway co-ordinator
- Charlie Shawcross – Committee Member