Landscape Partnership Scheme

In December 2016, the Heritage Lottery Fund confirmed an award of £1.35 million to the Land of the Fanns Partnership. Comprised of the Thames Chase Trust, LB of Havering, LB of Barking & Dagenham, Brentwood Borough Council, Thurrock Council, the Forestry Commission, Thames21 and the Thames Estuary Partnership, the partnership is now setting up a five-year programme of activity to restore, discover and celebrate one of the last remaining landscapes of London as it once was. In total, the value of the 5-year programme is £2.4 million.

Why the Land of the Fanns?

Under the banner of the ‘Land of the Fanns’, the scheme draws inspiration from 19th century parish records of a more unified landscape celebrated in Leslie Thompson’s book The Land that Fanns (1957). Derived from the Saxon word for fen, the ‘Fanns’ evokes memories of a lost watery landscape alluded to through places such as Bulphan (or Bulfann), Fanns Farm and Dry Street. Whilst the project has taken this phrase and used it to cover an area encompassing more than just historic fenland, the title still retains a ring of truth about it. Indeed, the wider landscape owes so much of its character to a marshy origin that it becomes appropriate. By adopting the historic name coined locally for this area, the ‘Land of the Fanns’ also captures the essence of the project’s ambition: to reunify the landscape and spark renewed attachment to it.

Job Opportunities!

Thanks to the Heritage Lottery Fund, two exciting opportunities to make a difference in the landscape are now available! The Land of the Fanns are looking for:

Scheme Manager
Finance and Administration Officer (part time)

For more information about these roles please click here.