Huguenot heritage centre in Rochester one step closer

The French Hospital hopes to display its collection of memorabilia including a Bible that had been baked in a bread loaf

A Huguenot heritage centre in Kent is one step closer after the charity that wants to open it was awarded £90,900.

The French Hospital said the award from the Heritage Lottery Fund would help its plans to apply for a full grant.

Thousands of French Protestants fled Catholic France to escape persecution in the 17th and 18th Centuries.

The French Hospital, which was founded in 1718 to offer sanctuary to poor Huguenots, hopes the centre will open in Rochester in 2015.

It described the Huguenots as "the most successfully integrated group of migrants ever to enter Britain".

At least one in six Britons is believed to have Huguenot ancestry, the charity claimed.

'Enormous benefit'

The French Hospital, based at La Providence in Rochester, hopes to display its collection of paintings, engravings, furniture, silverware, and memorabilia, including a Bible that had been baked in a bread loaf, at the centre once completed.

It said the centre, which would be above the visitor information bureau on Rochester High Street, would also enable students to discover Huguenot trades including silversmithing and weaving, and that visitors would also be able to research their Huguenot roots using its documents.

The charity, which maintains 60 sheltered flats in Rochester, has launched a campaign to raise more funds for the heritage centre and more almshouse accommodation.

Peter Duval, from the French Hospital, said: "The Huguenot Heritage Centre will be of enormous benefit to everyone of Huguenot descent, but also for everyone to understand the importance migrants have always had to our society.

"This grant means we are one step closer to telling our story with clarity and vision for all to enjoy."