The recorded memories of residents who visited Broomfield House before the disastrous fires in the 1980s will form a central part of a film which is currently being made about the House. Film maker Christine Lalla has interviewed a number of local people about their reminiscences and the recordings will feature in the soundtrack of the film, which will be used to publicise the work of the Broomfield House Working Party to rebuild and reopen the historic building for community use.
With assistance from Jan Metcalf of the Enfield Library and Information Service, Christine has been able to film some of the stored artefacts which were once the pride of the displays in Broomfield House. She has also shot footage of the recently created Broomfield Community Orchard and of the exotic plants in Broomfield Conservatory, which is now maintained and opened to the public by the Friends of Broomfield Park (the photograph shows Christine at work in the Conservatory).
Another important function of the film will be to help in fundraising, which will be crucial if the restoration is ever to go ahead. Following the failure of last autumn's bid for Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) money (see this earlier report), the Broomfield House Working Party have decided that rather than attempting to devise a less expensive, but less satisfactory, restoration scheme, they should instead explore the scope for obtaining funding from major charitable and heritage sources, which could be used in conjunction with a bid for a reduced amount of funding from the HLF.
For a full history of the Broomfield House Working Party's project to restore the House, see the Latest News page of their website.