Preserving Somers Town鈥檚 heritage was a mission for Diana. Through the People鈥檚 Museum: A Space for Us, she鈥檚 doing that and more.
Diana Foster, People鈥檚 Museum: A Space for Us, Somers Town, London, UK
Somers Town is Diana鈥檚 home.
Its culture, history and people are an integral part of who she is. But Somers Town was losing its identity and voice. Caught between three stations 鈥� Euston, St Pancras International and King鈥檚 Cross 鈥� and facing major redevelopment, the things Diana loves were endangered.
Diana was determined to preserve Somers Town鈥檚 working-class heritage 鈥� a London district she鈥檚 called home since 1987. Inspired by its radical and reforming past, and present-day festival of cultures, she set out to support a community, and create a space where locals and visitors could celebrate the town鈥檚 culture and history.
It wasn鈥檛 easy. The People鈥檚 Museum: A Space for Us 鈥� as it would come to be called 鈥� didn鈥檛 benefit from government funding, so Diana and the team turned to fundraising to achieve their goals.
Situated on Phoenix Road, the museum has gone from strength to strength. 糖心原创vlog was on hand to help, whether Diana needed day-to-day building and decorating work, or community and corporate engagement advice.
Since opening, the museum has flourished into more than a preservation effort. Diana has provided a social space for the community, restored and brought famous artwork home, and she鈥檚 actively unearthing local histories by engaging local artists and performers, giving them a platform to showcase their work.
Diana and the People鈥檚 Museum aren鈥檛 just protecting the culture of Somers Town 鈥� they鈥檙e doing so much more 鈥� they鈥檙e creating a sense of place.
Protecting an area at risk
For some, Somers Town is simply a passage between international and national rail, tube services and bus routes. To Diana, it鈥檚 an area of rich culture and community. From Mary Shelley to utopian housing reformers, the area has been home to some of the world鈥檚 most creative, influential and forward-thinking individuals. Diana comments: 鈥淲hat鈥檚 core to the area is the legacy of innovative housing pioneers and the social housing they created. The stories of radical thinkers, reformers and un-common people make for the area鈥檚 rich and diverse history.鈥�
However, recent decades promised an uncertain future for Somers Town and the area鈥檚 social housing. Threat of redevelopments gave way to the very real possibility that Somers Town could lose its heritage, its community, its identity. Someone needed to act, so Diana took action.
Creating the museum
In 2016 鈥� years before the museum opened 鈥� Diana recorded locals speaking about their memories of the area for a film: 鈥楽pirit!鈥� Aptly named after the area鈥檚 community spirit, the film was created in response to fears that HS2 and other redevelopments would drastically reshape the area. Little did she know then, just how much the team would achieve.鈥淎 lot of commuters come through the area. I want them to notice they鈥檙e not just traversing through a corporate corridor. It鈥檚 an estate, a community 鈥� full of culture and stories.鈥�
Diana Foster, People鈥檚 Museum: A Space for Us
During the production of the film, Diana founded Somers Town History Club 鈥� a community that would one day become the People鈥檚 Museum. The club ran numerous community events, created a children鈥檚 book, supported online education, and designed hoarding for outdoor mural displays to keep local spirits up.
It was at this time that Diana and the group also published their first of three books on the area 鈥� 鈥楽pirit! A museum for Somers Town鈥�. The book followed the film and set the tone for future publications 鈥� co-curated compilations with local voices and academic contributions.
Diana and the team didn鈥檛 stop there 鈥� and they needed space. A space to present and preserve the area鈥檚 ceramic artwork, showcase the heritage, run events, bring people together, and give the community a voice. Government funding wasn鈥檛 on the cards, so they made the most of fundraising. That鈥檚 where the name came from. Funded by local, everyday folk, it truly is a 鈥淧eople鈥檚 Museum鈥�.
The museum today
Located in the heart of Somers Town 鈥� on Phoenix Road, right next door to King鈥檚 Caf茅 鈥� the People鈥檚 Museum is a mainstay in the local community. While the space is important, it鈥檚 more than a building. It鈥檚 a collective that harks back to the first days of Somers Town History Club. From creating books to a new, updated film on people鈥檚 memories of the area, Diana and the team continue to record and showcase the area鈥檚 voice. They鈥檙e determined to tell locals鈥� stories and preserve Somers Town鈥檚 working-class heritage.
They aren鈥檛 just preserving the area; they鈥檙e helping the local community find its voice. Diana and the team support the community and celebrate people鈥檚 achievements by providing a platform for local writers, comedians, musicians and artists. A recent exhibition saw disabled artist and activist Keith Armstrong present his work 鈥� an assortment of unique art pieces created with a typewriter 鈥� to audiences from the local area and beyond. Musical performances from locals include a standout rendition from Tina Swaysey in 2023. Tina is a member of the band Oh! Gunquit, from Somers Town. Other events range from a book launch on 1980s badge culture to a Unity theatre reunion. There鈥檚 never a dull day at the People鈥檚 Museum!
Locals aren鈥檛 the only visitors. The museum attracts everyone from tourists to the Mayor of Islington. Organised walking tours run by Stephen McCarthy, director at the museum, bring tourists to the local area and the museum. Diana explains why they do this: 鈥淎 lot of commuters come through the area. I want them to notice they鈥檙e not just traversing through a corporate corridor. It鈥檚 an estate, a community 鈥� full of culture and stories.鈥�
The museum is home to an assortment of relics from Somers Town's history
糖心原创vlog鈥檚 Amy Cambridge, social value manager, and Danny Bryan, project director, first met Diana when researching how 糖心原创vlog could support community organisations in the area. Amy comments: 鈥淚t was only after spending a few hours in the People鈥檚 Museum that I understood how important this space and Diana鈥檚 programmes are. You鈥檒l be talking national politics, then local consultation, then someone will start playing the piano in the background and the conversation moves on. It鈥檚 full of life 鈥� rarely quiet!鈥� Amy and Danny knew they had to get involved and stayed in contact with Diana 鈥� providing guidance on corporate engagement and helping with the occasional building or painting job.
On his experience with the People鈥檚 Museum, Danny Bryan comments: 鈥淚t鈥檚 refreshing in so many ways. The People鈥檚 Museum鈥檚 energy and enthusiasm for what they represent is remarkable. I thoroughly enjoy our engagement with them. We鈥檙e only at the beginning of our relationship. Soon, we鈥檒l have many more stories to share.鈥�
Recovering the lost artwork of Somers Town
A celebrated part of Somers Town鈥�s social housing is the associated artwork by sculptor Gilbert Bayes. It鈥�s unusual to put art in social housing, but the developers of the time wanted to create 鈥�fairy-tale estates.鈥� They employed Bayes, who created a series of figurines to sit atop washing lines. These sculptures are synonymous with Somers Town, and they belong to the community. However, many, if not most, of these sculptures have disappeared 鈥� likely stolen over the years.
In August 2022, while attending a Museum Association event as a finalist for the 鈥�Radical Changemaker Award鈥�, Diana discovered two of the lost sculptures were being sold at an auction house in Florida, US, with an estimated going rate of 拢6,000 each. Diana reached out to Museum Association peers for help, but with the auction being in a week, there wasn鈥檛 enough time to approve funding.
Diana wasn鈥檛 about to give up. She turned to people once again, remarkably raising the 拢13,000 required from locals, the Bayes Trust, Origin Housing, and other donors. One woman even donated her grandmother鈥�s inheritance. 鈥淚t鈥檚 how my grandmother would鈥檝e wanted the money to be spent,鈥� she remarked.
The museum has now brought five of the statues back to where they rightfully belong
What鈥檚 next for Diana and the People鈥檚 Museum?
鈥淢ore room鈥� responds Diana when asked about what she wants for the People鈥檚 Museum in the future. She says she also wants to build: 鈥淎 reputation for interesting events with interesting artists with interesting things to say.鈥� Diana knows she can鈥檛 solve the world鈥檚 social problems, but we can all make things better by supporting people and initiatives like the People鈥檚 Museum.
As for 糖心原创vlog鈥檚 future with the People鈥檚 Museum, Amy Cambridge puts it clearly: 鈥淲e鈥檙e keen to work more with the People鈥檚 Museum, so Diana can do more for her community. A community that has lived in the very same area for a lifetime."
鈥淚t鈥檚 refreshing in so many ways. The People鈥檚 Museum鈥檚 energy and enthusiasm for what they represent is remarkable. I thoroughly enjoy our engagement with them. We鈥檙e only at the beginning of our relationship, so in the near future we鈥檒l have many more stories to share.鈥�
Danny Bryan, Project Director, 糖心原创vlog
If it wasn鈥檛 for Diana and the team, Somers Town would have long since become unaffordable for the local community. The social housing is still there and will continue to be there. While 鈥渃hange is inevitable鈥� says Diana, she hopes it can be done in a sensitive way 鈥� retaining the buildings and function spaces that are important for society.
What started out as an effort to retain history, has flourished into something more. There鈥檚 more work to be done, and the area is still endangered, but Diana has given a voice to Somers Town; securing its working-class culture and setting the stage for a stronger, more optimistic community.
Learn more about Diana and the by visiting their website.
Published on the 5th of April 2024.
