The Challenge

St Peter and St Paul Church in Bardwell, Suffolk, where our head office is based, were granted National Lottery funding to help them repair the stained glass windows and restore the nave of the church.  A stipulation of the funding was that the history of the church had to be recorded and displayed for the whole community to see and learn from. 

The Solution

Working with local theatre group Spinning Wheel Theatre a pageant was created to tell the story of the life and times of Sir William de Beredwell and the history of the village.  The production called ‘Illuminating the Knight’ documented tales of the village between 1349 and 1422. 

The How:

St Peter and St Paul Church in Bardwell, Suffolk, where our head office is based, were granted National Lottery funding to help them repair the stained glass windows and restore the nave of the church.  A stipulation of the funding was that the history of the church had to be recorded and displayed for the whole community to see and learn from. 

The unique production took the audience on a walk through the village of Bardwell as it chartered the ups and downs of Sir William’s life through the eyes of the people of Bardwell.   To make it even more special the cast of the production was made up of local people with a love of amateur dramatics.

To ensure that the whole community could benefit from the Illuminating the Knight pageant we produced a colourful book that re-told the tale for all to enjoy.  We also produced a pop-up banner to be displayed in the church that showed the timeline of Sir William’s life in a fun and engaging way. The banner and book will also be used by the local primary school as they learn the history of the village. 

We produced a storybook of the medieval stained glass window repairs, telling the history behind the window and the story.

In addition, we produced a pictorial record of the restoration and development of the nave.

The Results:

• The story of the life and times of Sir William de Beredwell was told to over 150 through the walking theatre production. 
• The history of St Peter and St Paul Church is now available for all visitors to the church to read.
• The local children at Bardwell Primary School are able to use the books and banners as part of their history lessons.  

“Toolbox have delivered excellent service and great creativity. We had a complicated project but the team have listened well to understand our needs and to get details correct. We are very pleased with products produced and the overall experience. I would highly recommend them! Thank you toolbox marketing!”

-Dinkie Williamson