Weymouth Pavilion historical survey
Children, with their tutor and volunteers from Westfield Technology College, aided by an historian and a filmmaker, will research the heritage of Weymouth Pavilion. In 1954 a fire famously burnt down the popular Ritz Theatre and the 'new' Weymouth Pavilion Theatre opened on the site six years later. On completion of the children's investigation of this local heritage they will present what they discover to the public in an exhibition, a film on DVD (which would be distributed to all local schools) and a website, which will document their discoveries.
The children will investigate the Pavilion's heritage by interviewing locals and recording their reminiscences. We will endeavor to find people in the area who can remember using the Pavilion. Ideally we will be able to locate people who experienced going to the old original Ritz Theatre before it burnt down. The children will interview people from Council officers to ordinary people in the street to record how people used the Pavilion in the past. The aim is not a chronological interpretation but a wider more personal view of the Pavilion's heritage. We will produce a valuable historical archive document, recording Weymouth pavilion and what people feel about it. They will explore the buildings cultural and historic significance for the area.