Fydell House is an early 18th century Georgian Town House which is located on South Street in Boston. It is a Grade 1 Listed Building with links to Joseph Banks and the influential 20th century American political Kennedy family dynasty.
In March 2018, Heritage Lincolnshire were appointed by Boston Preservation Trust (BPT) to undertake an operational audit of current management procedures at Fydell House. This included a full assessment of all aspects of day-to-day management alongside examining wider aspects of Fydell House including the current visitor experience gathering feedback from key local stakeholders and end users. The Operational Audit of Current Management procedures included aspects such as the financial model, current volunteering opportunities, office leasing arrangements and administrative policies and procedures. The wider analysis included understanding current provision for visitors (tourism), opportunities for heritage interpretation and the provision for hosting civil weddings.
This work provided a summary of recommendations and priorities for BPT to consider alongside a proposed structure for a Heritage Lottery Fund application to enable the transformation of Fydell House into a streamlined business operation, offering a variety of functions to both visitors and the local community. Heritage Lincolnshire’s involvement continued for another year beyond the submission of the report (September 2018), where we provided an Office Manager (a seconded member of staff) to support transition work, whilst Trustees developed a Job Description and advertised for a full-time member of staff.
Below picture; Charlotte receiving a beautiful painting of Fydell House, gifted for her hard work for the Boston Preservation Trust.
In 2020 Heritage Lincolnshire undertook the Resilient heritage assessment of Boston Preservation Trust, working with staff and volunteers to audit skills, as well as delivering training on fundraising, education and outreach.
Most recently Heritage Lincolnshire has been working with Boston Preservation to secure development phase funding for a significant activity and capital works programme on Fydell House. This funding was secured in late 2021, and Heritage Lincolnshire continue to act as mentor and delivery partner in this work.