All West Cheshire Museums celebrate fun, free Heritage Open Weekend

To celebrate Heritage Open Weekend, all four of West Cheshire’s museums will be running exciting, free drop-in events.

This year’s theme is ‘Astounding Inventions’ and celebrates England's rich history of invention, industry and innovation. This includes free taster tours of Northwich’s Lion Salt Works Museum - one of the foremost industrial heritage museums in the country – as well as free entry for an afternoon into Northwich’s Weaver Hall Museum & Workhouse. There will be free ‘Astounding Inventions’ drop-ins at three of the museums, as well as a ‘Clocks and Cogs’ activity and a ‘Forgotten Chester’ talk at Chester’s Grosvenor Museum. Booking is not required and information is at: www.westcheshiremuseums.co.uk 

Chester’s Grosvenor Museum

On 10 September (11am-2pm), ‘Astounding Inventions’ drop-ins will discover old and new gadgets and inventions designed to make life easier, including the chance to make butter. This event is family-friendly and dementia inclusive. 

On 15 September (7.30pm-9.30pm) a free lecture on ‘Forgotten Chester: Engineering World Leaders’ will explore Chester’s industrial past, including delving into the importance of three innovative engineering firms that gave the city a more significant role in manufacturing in the UK than is commonly thought. 

On 17^th September (11am-2pm), a drop-in on ‘Cogs and Clocks’ examines the history of clock-making in Chester and gives children the chance of making their own cogs and clocks.  

Lion Salt Works Museum

On Saturday 17 September, The Lion Salt Works Museum, one of the country’s foremost industrial heritage museums, is celebrating its rich history with regular free taster tours and demonstrations as well as the chance to find out more about ‘Astounding Inventions’ in free, drop-in workshops. Booking is not required and tours start from 11am onwards.  

In addition to ‘taster tours’ the Museum is also offering everyone the chance to enjoy an ‘Astounding Inventions’ drop-in. Here, the fun history of how inventions were designed to make our lives easier is explored.  

The Lion Salt Works Museum in Ollershaw Lane, Northwich is winner of ten awards, rated 4.5 on Trip Advisor and tells the story of salt and its impact on the region, landscape and people. This compelling story is told thorough interactive displays, a sound and light show, a ‘subsiding house’ and an automaton. On site there is free parking and free access to the playground and butterfly garden. For further information contact call the Museum on 01606 275066. 

Weaver Hall Museum and Workhouse

Weaver Hall Museum & Workhouse is offering free entry to everyone on 17 September between 2-5pm. Located in the atmospheric former Northwich Union Workhouse building, started in 1837. During its working life, the workhouse provided a last refuge for the poor of mid-Cheshire, until it closed in 1968. Today, visitors can get a fascinating insight into the building’s history by exploring the workhouse schoolroom, the Master’s sitting room and formidable double-heighted, Guardian’s Boardroom, in which weekly meetings took place to make decisions about the care of the poor. There is free parking on site.  

Stretton Water Mill

On Sunday 11 September, between 12m – 5pm, the beautiful rural setting of the mill will host an ‘Astounding Inventions’ free drop-in. In addition, the delightful, rural mill will demonstrate the power and uses of water to drive millstones and sieves as well as pump fresh water uphill to surrounding villages. 

These events are being promoted by Heritage Open Days, Cheshire West & Chester Council and the Civic Trust. Information on all the Heritage Open Weekend sites are available at www.heritageopendays.org.uk/visiting 

Councillor Louise Gittins, Leader of Cheshire West & Chester Council, said: “People rightly admire Cheshire for the beauty of its countryside and historic houses but Cheshire has always been a leading industrial county too. Through the four West Cheshire Museums, this past is explored in the free events being held for the Heritage Open Days. For instance, the Lion Salt Works tells the story of salt and its impact on not just the people and landscape but its significant contribution to the county’s industries. All these events are a wonderful, free way of finding out more about the history of West Cheshire through the innovation of its engineers and industries. I hope as many people as possible make it along to one or more of these events.” 

Pictured - Stretton Watermill (Credit - Alf Bailey www.alfbaileyphotography.co.uk)