HISTORY is to be brought to life in Kidderminster thanks to a new £40,000 project.

Kidderminster Civic Society has proposed a radar survey of St Mary's Churchyard to locate a Saxon Monastery or church as part of an initiative to record historical sites and buildings in the town.

The project has been made possible by a grant of around £40,000 from the Local Heritage Initiative - a partnership between the Heritage Lottery Fund, Nationwide Building Society and the Countryside Agency.

A list of historical sites and buildings in Kidderminster will also be created to ensure a public record is retained of all significant sites and buildings which have existed during the town's long history, dating back to Saxon times.

It is hoped, with the help of the public, the project will create hundreds of Kidderminster entries which will then be available in a hard copy form or as a computer record, accessible online.

The project will be officially launched at a public meeting at the Chantry next to St Mary's Church next Wednesday at 7.30pm.

Nigel Gilbert, chairman of the Historic Kidderminster Committee, said members were grateful for the funding, which would enable the group to carry out a long cherished project.

He added: "We are not just looking for information on civic buildings or the houses of the wealthy.

"For the best part of 200 years, Kidderminster was famous across the world as a carpet town. We want to track the growth of houses and streets of the workers who made this possible.

"If anybody has old deeds of cottages or terraced houses, particularly from the Victorian period or earlier, we would dearly like to look at them."

For further information, call 01562 829398.