A well known estate agent in the Ironbridge Gorge is to research his family history to help a local village church with an application for heritage lottery funding.
If Buildwas Church 300 Heritage Project can demonstrate that Patrick Smitheman and five other ‘significant’ local people are interested in the tercentenary of the current church this will help them to put in a stronger application.
Smitheman is one of the most significant families connected with the church over that time amongst those families that are mentioned most often in the church records.
Patrick, with the help of his father Richard, who also works for Harwood The Estate Agent, is most enthusiastic about being involved in the project.
He said there were lots of plaques in the church in memory of his ancestors who were buried in a crypt beneath the church. The family had been previously unaware of this.
“I am the current generation of Smitheman and have a strong connection with the Gorge through my estate agency which is in the heart of it,” said Patrick.
He said Roland Smitheman built Madeley Court Hotel and John Unit Smitheman owned Coalbrookdale Ironworks which may have been rented to Abraham Darby to smelt iron for the world famous Ironbridge.
“Harwood The Estate Agent, of which I am Managing Director based in the Broseley office, will try over the coming months to do further research into our family connection with Buildwas Church.
“My father and I will investigate possible birth, death, marriage, christening records.
“This will help the 300 Project collate information to be able to qualify for a grant to restore and maintain what is a beautiful village church,” said Patrick.
“I didn’t realise there was such a strong Smitheman connection with Buildwas which has come as a real shock. I had no idea that relatives were buried at the church.
“My father Richard was aware that family s ancestry was from Ironbridge & Broseley, but it has also come as a shock to him to discover that the bulk of the family were buried at Buildwas.”
Patrick added: “I have informed the 300 Project that we shall be pleased to try and collect any bits of family history that might help them.”
Nigel Bowen, secretary of the Buildwas Church 300 Project, said lottery funding would help pay for a heritage consultant to help them write the application. In addition, an architect to handle renovation work with the contractors.
They were also getting in touch with the families of people buried in the churchyard.
It was hoped the application for funding would be made shortly and that the project would be completed by 2020, the tercentenary of the current church which was built in 1720.
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