Blackburn Heritage Open Days 2015
Ainsworth Jewellers - Blackburn’s Oldest Town Centre Retailer
57-59 Darwen Street, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB2 2BW
Ainsworth Jewellers have been based in Blackburn Town Centre since 1870 and we will be
illustrating the historic store locations within Blackburn, showing the heritage of the 5 generations of
the Ainsworth Family who have run the business, and an insight by a leading industry expert into the
history of Jewellery and evolution of Diamond Cutting. Exhibits include an example of a perfectly cut
Diamond Tiara, models of the largest Diamond ever found in the world, and beautiful contemporary
jewellery. Event not suitable for children under the age of 5.
Opening Times
Friday 11th September: 0930 - 1700
Saturday 12th September: 0930 - 1700
Sunday 13th September: 1100 – 1600
Blackburn Cathedral, Cathedral Close, Blackburn BB1 5AA
Blackburn Cathedral is one of England's newest Cathedrals, yet it is one of the country's oldest
places of Christian worship. For many centuries, this has been the Parish Church of Blackburn
dedicated to St. Mary the Virgin. It continues as a place of prayer and worship and is at the centre of
the Diocese which takes in almost the whole of Lancashire. Visit this historic site and find out about
the multi-million pound transformation of Cathedral Quarter which will bring new shops, a hotel, a
festival plaza and gardens to the town along with the first clergy residential quarters to be built in
the UK for over 600 years. Climb the steps of the historic bell tower at 12 noon. Take a guided tour
of the Cathedral, suitable for all ages at 10am and 11.30am.
Opening Times: Saturday 12th September: Tour at 10am, 11.30am & Bell Tower Tour at 12 noon
Blackburn Central Library, Town Hall Street, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB2 1AH
Short talk in the Community History Library (2nd Floor) about the Local History Collection in
Blackburn Central Library and a chance to see some items of material normally kept behind in
"closed access".
Additionally, There will be an exhibition of old photographs on display during September on the First
Floor. Event not suitable for children under the age of 11.
Opening Times
Thursday 10th September: 1000-1700
Friday 11th September: 1000-1700
Saturday 12th September: 1000-1600
Sunday 13th September: 1000-1600, Short Talk & Demonstration 1400
Max 12 people per tour/session.
Blackburn Food Festival
Celebrate a street feast of food from across the region with a street market of traders who are in
town to celebrate the Blackburn Heritage Festival all weekend. Look for stalls on King William Street
and Church Street.
Opening Times: Saturday 12 September: 1000-1700 / Sunday 13 September: 1000-1700
Blackburn Old Cemetery, Whalley New Road, Roe Lee, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB1 9SR
Commemoration of Blackburn servicemen who lost their lives during the campaigns against the
Ottoman Empire (Dardanelles/Gallipoli, Mesopotamia, Salonika, Egypt and the Middle East) in the
Great War. Tour of family graves where some of these men are remembered.
An opportunity to see more of this cemetery containing over 52,000 graves in a beautiful peaceful
semi wild setting which is home to a variety of wildlife. Learn about how it is being preserved and
restored.
Opening Times: Sunday 13th September: Tour 1100 & 1300
Pre-booking: Preferred
Go to: https://www.facebook.com/groups/496715363690379/?fref=ts
Access: The tours will be largely across uneven grassland which is inaccessible to wheelchairs and
unsuitable for persons with restricted mobility. There are roadways accessible to motorised mobility
scooters but the site slopes quite steeply and is not suitable for hand propelled wheelchairs.
Additional information: Max 50 people per tour/session. For information about the cemetery see
Facebook group 'The Friends of Blackburn Old Cemetery' through which places on the tours can be
reserved.
Blackburn Spiritualist Centre, 1 Princes Street, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB2 1LS
Visit Blackburn Spiritualist Centre. Go inside our Church within our Centre. Learn about religion of
Spiritualism. See archives and pictorial history. Have a private reading with a Spiritualist Medium.
Spiritual healing available. Refreshments available in our tearoom. Tombola
Opening Times: Saturday 12th September: 1000 - 1600
Directions: Opposite St Anne's RC Church
Celebration of Cotton Craft Workshops: The Mall Blackburn, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB1 5AF
Celebrate Blackburn’s famous cotton town history with a ‘sew and tell’ demonstration and
interactive workshops.
Opening Times: Saturday 12th September: 10am – 4pm/ Sunday 13th September: 10am – 4pm
Clog Dancing Liz n Lil's, Sudell Cross, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB2 1AN
6 clog dancing teams from the region will descend on Blackburn Heritage Festival for a day of dance,
performing on Sudell Cross, outside Liz n Lil's on Saturday 12th September.
On Sunday 13th September, Blackburn's newly trained clog dancing apprentices from St Thomas's
school, winners of the Blackburn BID's heritage festival competition will perform. The children will
show off their newly acquired dancing skills with their tutor, Alex Fisher, Lancashire's clog dancing
expert, outside Sudell Cross, next to the big wheel on Sudell Cross.
Opening Times
Saturday 12th September: 1030-1200 & 1400-1600
Sunday 13th September: 1200-1300
Corporation Park Conservatory, Corporation Park, Preston New Road, Blackburn BB2 6DE
The magnificent, Grade II listed, Victorian Palm House Conservatory is the centre piece of
Corporation Park which will be open on Saturday and Sunday from 10am - 2pm. Join members of the
Corporation Park Supporters Group to discuss the history of the park and the importance of the
Conservatory which was originally commissioned by Blackburn Corporation as a grand and unique
structure to symbolize the success and status of the town.
Opening Times:
Saturday 12th September: 1000-1600 / Sunday 13th September: 1000-1600
Cotton to Gold, Exhibition Launch, Blackburn Museum & Art Gallery, Museum St. Blackburn BB1
7AJ
An exhibition showcasing the riches gathered by the great-collector philanthropists of the booming
industrial North West. Having enjoyed phenomenal success at Two Temple Place in London we're
delighted that the exhibition has come home to Blackburn with curator, Dr Cynthia Johnston who is
in town for the launch as part of Blackburn Heritage Festival. As the cotton mills boomed, bringing
development and deprivation hand in hand, this group of prominent industrialists privately, and
sometimes secretively, poured their wealth into some of the finest and most astonishing collections
in the country. Exceedingly rare Roman coins, priceless medieval manuscripts, Turner watercolours,
Tiffany glass, Japanese prints, Byzantine icons, ivory sculptures and even preserved beetles and a
Peruvian mummy. Get lost amongst the treasure and the taxidermy as Cotton to Gold seeks out the
stories behind these characters and what motivated them to give it all away. Discover their
complicated relationship with the fast-developing world in which they lived and ask yourself are
times really so different.
Opening Times:
Saturday 12th September: 1000-1600 /Sunday 13th September: 1200-1600
Eanam Wharf, Blackburn BB1 5BY
Visit Eanam Wharf & the Leeds Liverpool Canal & take an historical tour of the canal & the wharf
buildings. See the old crane & mechanical workings, stonework & the historical barge The Kennet.
Live music & performances including a Lancashire drama piece performed by the young people of
DAPA (Dance & Performing Arts) Also, the Kathleen Ferrier Exhibition will be on display, celebrating
the life of Blackburn’s internationally famous contralto.
Opening Times: Saturday 12th September 1000 -1600/Sunday 13th September 1000-1600
Festival of Making: Blackburn Museum & Art Gallery, Museum St. Blackburn BB1 7AJ
The Festival of Making is a one day event in Blackburn, on Saturday 12 September, that is themed
around 'Making History'. There will be plenty of activities to do and see, including 'making'
workshops in our very own handmade festival pavilion, large outdoor artwork installations, digital
and Interactive artwork to see and explore, food making, music making and much more. We will be
located right outside Blackburn Museum between 10-5:30pm.
Opening Times: Saturday 12th September: 1000 - 1730
Gladstone’s View Townscape Heritage Project, Public Consultation, Town Hall, King William Street,
Blackburn BB1 7DY
Find out about a £1.3 million Gladstone's View Townscape Heritage Project in Blackburn town
centre. Funded by the Heritage Lottery and Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, the project
could see the restoration of heritage buildings and public space in the area around Gladstones
Statue, King Georges Hall, Blakey Moor, Northgate and Lord Street West. The event includes
heritage skills demonstrations, exhibition, talks, tours and consultation. Presentation on proposed
Gladstone’s View project (10 minutes) followed by short walking tour of the project area (approx 30
mins). Talk & Tour 11am & 2pm each day.
Opening Times: Saturday 12th September: 1000-1600 /Sunday 13th September: 1000-1600
Gladstone’s View Townscape Heritage Project, Gladestone’s Statue, Northgate, Blackburn BB2 1JU
Drop in workshops to help local artists to transform Gladstone’s statue & his view.
Opening Times: Saturday 12th September 1100 -1400/ Sunday 13th September 1100-1400
Hart of the Town; Heart of Blackburn, one man’s contribution to Blackburn today
Blackburn Central Library, Town Hall Street, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB2 1AH
A fascinating presentation by the curator of 'Cotton to Gold', Dr Cynthia Johnston, Institute of
English Studies, School of Advanced Study, University of London
in 1878. The Hart family business, Thomas Hart Ltd, manufactured ropes that powered the cotton
mills in the North West, and all over the world. The success of the business created great financial
wealth for the family. For Edward Hart, as he was known, that wealth enabled him to pursue two
passions.
The first was the building of his world-class collection of manuscripts and books and his equally
important collection of coins. The Hart Collection of Roman coins in the museum is the only
complete run of Roman Imperial coins outside of the British Museum.
But Hart was also passionately committed to the community of Blackburn. He greatest gift was the
purchase of Witton Park for the Town in 1945.
Cynthia explains, 'In this talk I will discuss the treasures that Hart brought to Blackburn and left 'to
the people of the town' upon his death in 1946. I will also describe his many acts of philanthropy
which characterised how he led his life, and how Hart's gifts still have a major impact on Blackburn
today.
Opening Times: Saturday 12th September: Talk 1330-1430
Booking Details: No booking required
Hobkirk Sewing Machines, 120-128 Darwen Street, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB2 2AJ
Come down for a walk around the museum. Guided tours with a talk available.
Event not suitable for children under the age of 9.
Access :The museum is on the first floor with no lift
Also at Hobkirks: Patrick Grant, British fashion designer is well known to viewers of the BBC's Sewing
Bee programme. He will be opening Blackburn's new Sewing Machine museum at Hobkirk's on
Darwen Street and signing books between 1-2pm on Saturday.Patrick Grant, will also be taking at
Blackburn Library 11.30 -12.30 on Saturday
Opening Times
Thursday 10th September: 1000-1400/ Friday 11th September: 1000-1400
Saturday 12th September: 1000-1400/ Sunday 13 September: Talk 1300
Booking Details: Main Site is free to explore but the talk must be pre-booked
Booking Contact: Marcus Call: 01254 693555 Email: marcus@hobkirk.co.uk
Booking opens: 1st April 2015 09:00/ Booking closes: 31st August 2015 09:00
Max 15 people per tour/session.
Holy Trinity Church, Mount Pleasant, Blackburn BB1 5BN
Built between 1837-46 by Edmund Sharpe, Holy Trinity is a handsome Gothic building, now standing
in somewhat splendid isolation on Mount Pleasant, with a backdrop of high-rise flats. Inside, the
church is austerely impressive, with tall, thin windows of great elegance in the chancel and
transepts. Its special glory is the flat timber ceiling with a series of 80 painted heraldic panels, mostly
commemorating families who contributed to the construction of the church. Holy Trinity will be
open Saturday and Sunday 2-4pm. Throughout the days there will be historical talks and tours, crafts
activities for children, art exhibition and dance performances.
Free Dance displays: Different dance performances by three local prize-winning dance schools
between 2pm and 4pm on both days. All welcome including families with children. Organised by
Blackburn, Darwen and Rural Civic Voice.
Opening Times:
Saturday 12th September: 1400-1600
Sunday 13th September: 1400-1600
Kathleen Ferrier Exhibition, DAPA Centre, Eanam Wharf, Blackburn BB1 5BY
Visit Eanam Wharf - the centre of Blackburn's canal history where amongst a range of open day
activities you'll meet members of the Kathleen Ferrier Society who are staging an exhibition about
the life and work of Blackburn's internationally famous contralto. The wharf is only a short walk
from the town centre as you head out past Morrison's and you can also catch one of the vintage
buses leaving every 20 minutes from Penny Street. There's also parking nearby.
Opening Times:
Saturday 12th September: 1000-1600
Sunday 13th September: 1000-1600
Lancashire United Depot Open Day
Lancashire United Buses, Whitebirk Road, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB1 3JD
Free Shuttle Bus from the town centre to the depot. Full tour of the depot.
Free bus ride through the bus wash. Numerous heritage vehicles.
New vehicles in our fleet - see how buses have changed over the years.
Family Fun including bouncy castle, face painting, balloons and giveaways. Food stalls.
Opening Times: Sunday 13th September: 1000-1600
Additional information: Max 50 people per tour/session. Parking is very limited - Why not get the
free shuttle bus from Blackburn Town Centre
Live music weekend with Steve Royle and Ted Robbins
BBC Radio Lancashire, 20-26 Darwen Street, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB2 2EA
Live music with Steve Royle and Ted Robbins. Steve will be live in the Radio Theatre on Saturday with
Ted picking up Sunday morning. You can be in the audience as both are joined by two bands... each!
Opening Times
Saturday 12th September: 0900-1100
Sunday 13th September: 0900-1100
Booking Details
Pre-booking: Required
Booking Contact: BBC Action Team: Call: 0345 305 9000
Booking opens: 17th August 2015 10:00
Booking closes: 10th September 2015 14:00
McNally Music Tuition Open Day ,6 Sudell Cross, Blackburn BB2 1AN
McNally Music Tuition Open Day will give everyone in Blackburn with Darwen and the surrounding
area a chance to experience the excitement of live music, with great local live acts, guitar
workshops, drumming competitions and much more! A great day out for everyone from beginners
to seasoned musicians, family's & the local community!
Opening Times
Saturday 12th September: 0900-1700
Meet Patrick Grant, British Fashion Designer at Blackburn Library, Town Hall St, Blackburn BB2 1AH
Patrick Grant is well known to viewers of the popular BBC programme, 'Sewing Bee'. He will be
talking about the world of design and his new interest in Cookson and Clegg, one of Lancashire’s
longest established manufacturers based in Blackburn.
Opening Times: Saturday 12th September: 1130-1230
(He will also be opening Blackburn's new Sewing Machine museum at Hobkirk's on Darwen Street
and signing books between 1-2pm)
Mitchell & Kenyon Film Screenings Hornby Lecture Theatre, Blackburn Library, Town Hall St.,
Blackburn BB1 1AH
Over a century ago, filmmakers Sagar Mitchell and James Kenyon roamed the British Isles filming the
everyday lives of people at work and play. For around 70 years, 800 rolls of this early nitrate film sat
in sealed barrels in the basement of a shop in Blackburn. Miraculously discovered and painstakingly
restored by the BFI, this now ranks as the most exciting film discovery of recent times. Two
screenings in the Hornby Lecture Theatre, Saturday 'Edwardian Sports' 3pm Sunday 'Electric
Edwardians' 3pm
Opening Times: Saturday 12th September: 1500/ Sunday 13th September: 1500
Paint the Town , The Bureau Centre for the Arts, Victoria St., Blackburn BB1 6DW
Paint the Town..... is a challenge to artists of all ages and abilities- beginners, amateurs and
professionals- to create a painting or drawing in a day with in blackburn and the surrounding
borough along the theme of Old and New. Artists will need to register in advance in order to be
allocated an exhibition space and will be required to attend The Bureau Centre for the Arts on
Saturday between 9am and 10 am in order to have their blank canvas authenticated with a date
stamp. Artists will then be able to go out into the surrounding area to their favourite location to
produce a piece of work. For anyone new to the idea there may be the possibility that we could run
group sessions on the day or signpost you to courses in advance. All work will need to be returned
to the building by 6pm and there will be a time slot allocated for any framing and hanging of work.
On Sunday from 10am-4pm The Bureau Centre for the Arts will be open for an exhibition for
members of the public to come and view, and there will be a sale of any works that artists wish to
sell. The announcement of prizewinners will be at midday. Unsold work to be collected from 4pm5pm.
Opening Times:
Saturday 12th September: Registration from 0900-1000, works to be returned by 1800
Sunday 13th September: Exhibition open 1000-1600, collection of works till 1700
The Bureau Centre for the Arts , Victoria St., Blackburn BB1 6DW
The building will be open from 10am-4pm with a host of family friendly activities. The Bureau Centre
for the Arts will be hosting craft demonstrations and stalls where you can both watch someone
creating work, and buy their wares. There will be some heritage themed making activities for adults
and children, and a free self led heritage trail/ treasure hunt around the building and graveyard. We
will be housing a Victorian style sepia photo booth to have your portrait taken and showing free
screenings of some of the Mitchell and Kenyon films of old Blackburn. There is also the chance to
look round the oldest church and newest Arts Centre in Blackburn and the surrounding graveyard
where many of Blackburn's notable historical families are buried, including Thwaites and Hornby
family members. There are some beautiful and distinctive stained glass windows and a number of
memorial plaques to various local people.
Opening Times: Saturday 12th September: 1000-1600
The Mayor's Parlour and Council Chambers, Blackburn Town Hall, King William Street, Blackburn
BB1 7DY
The Mayor's Parlour and Council Chambers will be open to the public with a display of historical
artefacts and staff on hand to answer questions. The Mayor will be in attendance to meet and greet
visitor on Saturday between 10am-11am and Sunday 11am to 2pm.
Opening Times: Saturday 12th September: 1000-1100/ Sunday 13th September: 1100-1400
The Mobile Museum of Obsolete Technology
Regional Automobile Hub, Fielden St, Blackburn College, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB2 1LH
Step aboard a time travelling machine to see how the pace of technical change has increased and
how the mobile 'phone has made so many gadgets obsolete. Exhibits include computers, cameras,
projectors, TVs, radios, tape recorders, adding machines, slide rules, fax machines, typewriters,
telephones, walkie talkies, duplicators, early electronic games, obsolete media such as punch cards
and cassettes, and toy gadgets. The aim is to provide an entertaining stroll through what now seems
like ancient history - the era of slide rules, mechanical typewriters, and clunky analogue devices.
Curator, Stephen Wolstenholme says, 'While we may laugh at the fact that anyone ever found this
technology to be cutting-edge, we can't discount its place in history as a forerunner of the
technology we use today. The display shows some of the technology I used when growing up.
Visitors love to bash the keys of an old typewriter and young people are surprised to find that a film
projector that they dated as 1930s was in fact from the 1970s!
Opening Times
Saturday 12th September: 1000 - 1400
Sunday 13th September: 1100 - 1600- Blackburn Library
Please note: Sunday 12th September 10am, - 4pm the event will be held outside Blackburn Library.
Town Hall Street, Blackburn
The Trench
BBC Radio Lancashire, 20-26 Darwen Street, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB2 2EA
Visit a re-enactment of a WW1 trench with this popular and powerful installation curated by local
historian, Eric Nolan who will guide you through the stories of Lancashire's pals.
Opening Times
Saturday 12th September: 1000 - 1400
Sunday 13th September: 1000 – 1400
Thwaites Empire Theatre, Backstage Tour: Thwaites Empire Theatre, Aqueduct Road, Ewood,
Blackburn, Lancashire, BB2 4HT
This was one of the first purpose built 'electric light' cinemas in the UK. Now the Thwaites Empire
Theatre is a thriving community theatre venue which is run by a tireless band of volunteers who give
a friendly welcome to audiences. This fascinating backstage tour explains how the dedicated team
raised funds to turn a derelict cinema into a wonderful hub for local performers as well as big
names. You'll stand on stage and go behind the scenes to the lighting and sound booth and the
dressing rooms. If you have only ever seen outside the building - the wonderful red brick auditorium
will be a big surprise! This is a gem, not to be missed and the passion of the guides is infectious.
Opening Times: Sunday 13th September: Tours 1330, 1400, 1430, 1500
Access: Dressing rooms and lighting box are only accessible by steps. Please report to the 'stage
door' entrance at the back of the Capita Performing Arts building.
Town Hall Street Fair, Town Hall St., Blackburn BB1 1AH
Hopeful and Glorious have curated a fantastic collection of artists, crafters and designers who have
set up a traditional street market on Town Hall Street with family street entertainment from festival
favourite, Dan the Hat. Part of a line-up of activities across the town centre to celebrate Blackburn
Heritage Festival
Opening Times: Saturday 12th September: 1000 - 1600
Vintage Bus Tours of Blackburn Blackburn College, Feilden Street, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB2 1LH
Discover the hidden history of Blackburn with free 'hop-on, hop-off' guided bus tours taking you
from Eanam Wharf to Corporation Park and all stops in between. Time travel aboard one of four
vintage buses including three fully restored northern single deck buses and a Blackburn Corporation
double deck bus.
'Lawrence', 1951 Guy Arab III Ex-Lancashire United.
'Daisy', 1950 Leyland Tiger Ex-Crossville Motors.
'Rosie', 1946 Leyland Tiger Ex-Preston Corporation (quite a star in herself, Rosie featured in
the popular BBC 'Call the Midwife' series).
'Henry', 1949 Guy Arab III Ex-Blackburn Corporation.
Capture the sights, sounds and smells of the past with costumed drivers, conductors and trained
storytelling guides who will point out the past for you. There'll be stops along the way so that you
can disembark and visit some of the venues opening especially for the weekend as part of Blackburn
Heritage Festival and Heritage Open Days weekend. There's even an eye spy quiz for kids which
should keep the little ones and the 'young at heart' happy!
Opening Times: Saturday 12th September: 1000-1600/ Sunday 13th September: 1000-1600
Additional information: Leaving approximately every 20 minutes from Penny Street - near to the temporary
bus station for the inner circle and every hour from Penny Street for the outer circle.
Directions: The bus tours begin from the new Regional Automotive Technology Hub (RATH) building at
Blackburn College. This is the new motor vehicle engineering facility on the junction of Montague Street and
Fielden Street directly opposite the Foyer building and St Anne's School, next to the new leisure centre. There
is a large glass showroom style window on the corner of this building where cars are displayed.
Vintage Moon Booth Photo Parlour, Blackburn Market, Church St, Blackburn BB1 5AF
Snap a selfie & pick up props to have a costumed portrait taken in a 1920s vintage moon booth.
Opening Times:
Saturday 12th September: 1000-1600
Witton Country Park- History Walk & Games of Bygone Times
Witton Park Pavilion, Preston Old Road, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB2 2TP
Witton Country Park invites you to join us for a led walk following in the footsteps of the Feilden
Family, who once owned the park. Check out the site of the Old Witton House explore the Park as
we find out about the family, and step back in time with a look at the Old Coach House. Lots of
wonderful history in one of Blackburn's hidden gems!
Meet at the Pavilion for the walks and maybe take part in some traditional games of bygone days.
Opening Times
Saturday 12th September: 1100-1600; Walk 1115 & 1315
Sunday 13th September: 1100-1600; Walk 1115 & 1315
Additional information: A large free car park is at the main entrance to the park off Preston Old
Road A674;
Directions: FROM NEAREST TOWN: 1 mile from Blackburn town centre, on Preston Old Road (the
A674) heading towards Preston, via Feniscowles. PUBLIC TRANSPORT: Nearest railway stations are
Cherry Tree and Mill Hill, both ½ mile away, Blackburn railway station is 1 mile away.
World of Wheels Blackburn College, Feilden Street, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB2 1LH
A display of classic and modern vehicles from local enthusiasts and professional collections, hire and
sales businesses, displayed in the region's latest multi-million pound training facility, the Regional
Automotive Technology Hub at Blackburn College.
Wander round the vehicles indoors and outside, which will include four Bentleys and Rolls Royces
from Blackburn's Classic Car Warehouse, 5 of the top BMW models from Bowker Motor Group. Find
out about how Blackburn College is putting motor vehicle engineering and the town on the map with
its state of the art facilities.
Look out for the Mobile Museum of Obsolete Technology parked up!
Opening Times: Saturday 12th September: 1000-1400
Directions: Look for the brand new motor vehicle engineering building on the corner of Fielden
Street and Montague Street.