Step back in time with Heritage Open Days in Lancaster and Morecambe

The national theme for this annual celebration of the country’s heritage from September 9-18 is Astounding Inventions which has been taken on board by Lancaster Maritime Museum, the Storey Gardens and Halton Mill.

The Maritime Museum has used the theme for a family trail available on September 10,11, 17 and 18 while there’s a chance to discover the Georgian invention of walled kitchen gardens at The Storey on September 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17.

The Storey building itself is joining Heritage Open Days this year too by inviting visitors to view its beautiful gallery and stained glass on September 13-17.

One of the Storey family’s great business rivals was Lord Ashton whose legacy is open for exploration when his former Lancaster home – Ryelands House – is open on September 10.

A short stroll from Ryelands Park are Lune Bank Gardens currently being restored by volunteers who will be available to chat about their work on September 13.

The city’s industrial heritage is ripe for discovery on September 10 when Standfast Barracks opens its doors for factory tours highlighting the entire printing process of high-end fabrics produced there for almost a century.

And at Halton Mill on September 17, there’s the chance to see the recently discovered ‘Luneside Car’, originally developed in the late Forties, tour the former home of Luneside Engineering and attend the launch of a short film including interviews with former staff.

If you like to mix art with your heritage, King Street Studios and Luneside Studios are open to look round and meet artists on September 17 and 18, while the best of Baroque artistry can be enjoyed at The Music Room, open on the same dates.

One of the advantages of Heritage Open Days is that they provide opportunities to take tours of historic buildings for which there’s usually a charge.

Lancaster Castle is offering free tours on a first come, first served basis on September 10 and 11 while the Judges Lodgings tours will be free on the same dates. Leighton Hall is opening the house for free tours on September 14 and some well known performers and prominent individuals from the past will welcome visitors to the free Grand Theatre tours on September 17.

While all the district’s churches are free to enter at any time, many have organised special events for Heritage Open Days.

Lancaster’s Christ Church is hosting a concert by percussionist, Steven Moore on September 12 and there’s an evening focusing on its links to Lancaster workhouse on September 17.

The church is also open to visitors on September 10, 11, 17 and 18.

The historic Lancaster Quaker Meeting House will be hosting tours on September 11 while visits to Lancaster Priory may well be accompanied by music as Heritage Open Days coincide with its Festival of Song this year.

There’s heritage to discover both outside and inside St Wilfrid’s Church in Halton on September 17 and at Sts Thomas and Elizabeth RC Church in Thurnham on September 17 and 18.

At Cockersand Abbey Chapter House near Cockerham an exhibition will be available to view including a processional cross dated from Henry VII’s time on September 10 and 11 and if you’re out that way, take the chance to visit Pilling’s small Georgian church on September 10 & 11, last used for public

worship in the late 19 th Century.

If you fancy discovering more about Lancaster in Georgian and Regency times, a tour led from Market Square led by coachman ‘Johnnie’ Nathaniel Eccleston will use character role-play and replica items to give an insight into the social and political history of that period on September 16.

Meanwhile, in Morecambe on September 11 and 18, there’s an exhibition about the history of The Alhambra theatre which starred in the 1960 film version of John Osborne’s, The Entertainer, and an exhibition focusing on the resort’s railway history at Morecambe Heritage Centre on September 10, 13, 15 and 17 as well as a guided walk on the subject from The Platform on September 9.

Anyone interested in vehicle heritage might like a drive to Beetham on September 11 when Heron Corn Mill hosts Lakeland Historic Car Club showing off their classic vehicles, and the resident miller will be leading guided tours of the mill.

Five hundred years of Garstang’s history will be packed into a guided walk around the town’s tracks and fields, setting off from Visit Garstang Centre on September 16.

And if you want to know What the Papers said in Bleasdale back in the day there’s a gentle history walk enhanced by stories from the local newspapers, following the area’s tracks and field paths on September 9.

Coun Sandra Thornberry, Lancaster City Council’s cabinet member with responsibility for arts, culture, leisure and wellbeing, said: “Heritage Open Days is our once-a-year chance to discover some of our district’s rarely seen historic treasures, with exciting experiences that bring local history and culture to life. This year’s programme is packed with a wide range of exciting events so there is bound to be something for everyone to enjoy.”

For more details of all Heritage Open Days events, visit here

Brochures featuring events in the Lancaster City Council district are available from Lancaster or Morecambe Visitor Information Centres.