Museums of Cheshire Throw Open Their Doors for Free This September
Many museums and cultural venues in historic Cheshire will open their doors for free on Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th September to celebrate 20 years of Heritage Open Days. From waterways to mills, police stations to priories, workhouses to chapels, the opportunities for adventures are endless
Heritage Open Days celebrate England’s incredible architectural and cultural offer by providing free access to places that are usually either closed to the public or normally charge for admission. With so many museums, historic houses, gardens and galleries, Cheshire is rich with history and heritage and visitors are able to journey through time across the county this September.
Some of Cheshire’s favourite museums will be offering free entry over the Heritage Open Days weekend including Catalyst Science Discovery Centre, Cheshire Military Museum, Macclesfield Silk Museum, Norton Priory Museum and Gardens and, Port Sunlight Museum.
In additions visitors will be able to discover more about the Museums of Cheshire through special talks and tours taking place at the Grosvenor Museum, Weaver Hall Museum, Stretton Mill, the Lion Salt Works, Paradise Mill, Englesea Brook Chapel and Museum, Birkenhead Priory and the Williamson Art Gallery in Wirral.
Other special activities include film showings of rarely seen archive footage at Catalyst Science Discovery Centre, displays of Victorian toys and artefacts and memory-sharing at Englesea Brook Chapel and Museum, birds of prey displays at Halton Castle, special Salt Tours in Nantwich (charges do apply for salt tours) and an Open Village event in Port Sunlight where visitors will have the unique opportunity to see inside some of the village’s homes, gardens and public buildings.
Birkenhead Priory will be holding a Discover Day inviting visitors to uncover the secrets of the Priory site and join in hands-on creative activities. The spotlight will also be on the newly refurbished gallery The Cabinet of Curiosity at Warrington Museum & Gallery which showcases some bizarre and wonderful items from their collections including more than 80 colourful birds and other taxidermy items such as the Woolston seal and more exotic creatures like the giant anteater!
Whatever your age or interest, there will be plenty to see and do with the family in Cheshire over the Heritage Open Days weekend.
Katherine Lynch, Port Sunlight Museum & Garden Village Heritage Manager commented:
‘Cheshire has such a diverse cultural offer with museums that span from prehistoric life through to the World Wars and far into the future of science. The Heritage Open Days campaign means that the Museums of Cheshire can remove all entry fees and open up our doors for visitors to explore our unique venues. We also hope that by using the Museums of Cheshire loyalty card and handy new maps showing museums that are ‘close by’ visitors will be able to discover new venues across the county as well as their much-loved favourites.’
The Museums of Cheshire have produced a loyalty style postcard and handy new maps showing museums ‘close by’ to encourage visitors to visit three of the listed venues. Each museum will offer a secret password and once they have generated three passwords, visitors will be entered into a competition prize draw to win a relaxing short break at the famous Port Sunlight Village and over £100 of museum vouchers. The postcards can be picked up at any Museums of Cheshire venue.
For more information about free events and activities during Heritage Open Days go to www.heritageopendayschester.co.ukand and for Wirral events head to www.wirralhistoryandheritage.org.uk
For further information about the Museums of Cheshire go to the website at http://www.visitcheshire.com/things-to-do/museums-of-cheshire
Written and submitted by Laura Young
(Marketing Cheshire)
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