Maison Dieu and Dover Museum all set for Dover Youth Festival fun!

Young people (age 11-19) have an exciting opportunity to try their hand at stone-carving, stencil Maison Dieu animals and flowers, and discover what a career in heritage is all about as part of the upcoming Dover Youth Festival this October half-term (26 Oct to 3 Nov).  

This year’s theme is People, Place, Nature and Climate and we’re exploring all of these at the Maison Dieu - from stories of inspirational people connected with the building, to links with nature and the River Dour, as well as looking at ways to reduce climate impact by reducing, recycling and re-using.  

As part of the Maison Dieu and Dover Museum contribution to the festival, participants will be able to:

• Explore the Maison Dieu on a special hard-hat tour before taking part in creative workshops inspired by the building

• Learn to carve a gargoyle or grotesque with Sandwich-based stone mason Carrie Horwood of Cat’s Eye Carving

• Make a colourful dragon, bird or flower design with specialists from Arte Conservation, using the same stencils and techniques used to re-instate the Maison Dieu decorative scheme

• Chat about what a career in heritage really involves and handle some incredible artefacts 

• Take part in a fun animal mask and lantern-making workshop at Dover Museum, using the Animals Everywhere! exhibition and some fabulous Maison Dieu beasts for inspiration. 

The Maison Dieu team is delighted to be taking part in the Dover Youth Festival, led by Future Foundry in collaboration with more than 40 partners from Dover and the surrounding area.  

From gaming, football and fashion to outdoor adventures like bushcraft, stargazing and beach sculpture, there’s something for everyone.  

With a pop-up cinema, creative workshops and more, it’s the perfect chance to hang out, try new things and make a difference.  

To see the full programme and to book, visit Dover Youth Festival 2024 at https://futurefoundry.org.uk/

Notes 

All Maison Dieu content is funded by the Reawakening the Maison Dieu National Lottery project.

Funding for the wider Dover Youth Festival is provided through the Farming in Protected Landscapes programme from Defra and the Kent Downs National Landscape (Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty). 

The £10.5m reawakening of the Grade I Listed Maison Dieu sees the restoration of internationally significant decorative schemes by the renowned Victorian neo-Gothic architect William Burges, and a new street-level visitor entrance to the Connaught Hall, along with improved access throughout the building.

The project creates a sustainable future for the Maison Dieu by bringing redundant spaces back into commercial use, including restoring the Mayor’s Parlour as a holiday let in conjunction with the Landmark Trust, and a unique new café in the space once occupied by Victorian gaol cells.

Once complete in 2025, the Maison Dieu will be permanently open to the public for the first time in its 800-year history.

Project funders/partners include the National Lottery Heritage Fund, The Wolfson Foundation, The Landmark Trust, Dover District Council, Dover Town Council, and the Dover Society.

Captions:

Top image: Young people will learn stone-masonry skills from Carrie Horwood of Cats Eye Carving as part of a special Maison Dieu inspired workshop. 

Second image: Young people enjoy a hard-hat tour of the Maison Dieu to see conservation work in process in the Connaught Hall.