Top Church (St Thomas & St Luke’s Church) held a heritage Open Day on Saturday 7th September to showcase their innovative Digital Tour which aims to share the history of the church and the role it has played in supporting the residents of Dudley.
Funded through a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Community and Heritage Director Kath Poole and her team have created a series of 15 short films to bring to life the stories and characters associated with’ Top Church’, all the way back to the 12th century when the first ‘Top Church’ stood on the same site.
Kath led on the research to uncover the key stories from the church’s history. She was then helped by members of the congregation David Robinson and Bec Rogers to put together the scripts, making the films both informative and humorous. Those featuring in the short films in period dress to represent characters from the church’s history are a mixture of volunteers from the congregation and professional actors sourced locally by David Robinson’s Dudley based Theatre company.
At the heritage Open Day attendees were given Bluetooth headphones and an iPad. Alternatively, participants could use their phones to scan the QR codes positioned in frames around the church.
The Tour starts with Dr Luke Booker (played by David Robinson) who was the church vicar at the time, talking about the rebuilding of the church in 1818, which is the building that still stands today. Top Church’s current Curate, Esther Treasure, also features in this first film, bridging the gap between past and present. Together they point out the differences between then and now including the pews being removed and repurposed, but also the similarities including how the church still has its original font and organ.
Other key characters in the videos include local philanthropist and pioneer for women Eugenia Robinson who has a plaque in the church, and her husband MP Brooke Robinson who was determined to improve the very low life expectancy for people in the town, caused by poor living conditions and overcrowding. Local educator Alice Payne also features talking about the church’s role in providing free education to local boys by setting up a parish school.
Another short film uses just the right amount of humour to paint a picture of what the living conditions would have been like without proper sanitation and what the church did to combat cholera in 1800s by collecting rainwater from the roof and building a cistern in the crypt to provide clean water to the townspeople.
The tour also includes the quirky tale of Mrs Coppice’s Cobs coming out the oven with gravestone inscriptions printed on their bottoms!
Community and Heritage Director Kath Poole said:
"We are thrilled to introduce the Top Church Digital Tour, a journey through history brought to life in 15 engaging videos, available both in the church and online. These videos feature a cast of real and imagined characters from the church’s rich past, each sharing its remarkable role in Dudley's history, including some lesser known stories that we uncovered in our research.
This project has been a true community endeavour. From writing and acting to production, every aspect was crafted by our dedicated congregation and the wider Dudley community.
A heartfelt thank you goes out to everyone who generously contributed their time and talents, as well as to the National Lottery Heritage Fund for making it all possible. We’re also grateful for the invaluable support of the Brooke Robinson Museum, Dudley Castle, and the Black Country Living Museum."
Top Church are sharing all the videos on their heritage website at https://topchurchheritage.co.uk/ reemphasising the connections there have always been between church and town.
Photo caption: L-R are Joanna Bell, playing Agnes the Pilgrim, David Robinson, playing vicar Dr. Luke Booker, Vicky Godwin, playing Mrs Coppice, and Victoria Myatt, who wasn't in the films but made some of the costumes worn, including those by Jo and Vicky.
