A BROMSGROVE man who was instrumental in ensuring the memory of the town’s Chartists were remembered has passed away at the age of 95.
Gordon Long and his wife Zoe, who died in 2010, moved into their Green Meadow house in Dodford in 1976, which was set among the houses left over from the village’s Chartist settlement.
And, after realising the national importance of the properties, the pair worked tirelessly with local historian Diana Poole and the late Dr McIlveen to find out more about the settlement and to ensure both the local community and wider world were also made aware of their significance.
Their hard work and persistent pressure resulted in the acquisition of Rosedene, a good surviving example of the Chartist cottages, by the National Trust in 1997. It was fully restored and is open by appointment to the public.
Rosedene’s importance is such that it has been featured in television and radio programmes by Melvyn Bragg, Simon Schama, and Laurence Llewelyn Bowen.
The Chartists movement centred around Fergus O’Connor who made cottages and land available to the working men so they could be self-sufficient and use their property ownership to acquire the vote.
As 1999 approached, a 150 years after the Settlement was founded, Zoe and Gordon founded and played prominent roles in the Dodford Society which brought the local community together to ensure that Chartism was recognised with a week long commemoration. There were contributions by eminent historians working in this field and it attracted visitors from as far away as Japan.
Gordon was chief buyer for Lucas Aerospace until his retirement in 1978. He was interested in all things connected with our engineering heritage and was a keen supporter of the Newcomen Society.
He was buried at a quiet family ceremony at Westall Natural Burial Ground alongside his wife Zoe.
