A free festival to celebrate the area of Westmorland and Furness’ built heritage is to take place in September.
Organised by Westmorland and Furness Council, the festival will take place on Friday 6 and Saturday 7 September at Barrow Town Hall, with free events taking place from 10am to 4pm.
Among the planned activities are:
- Tours of Barrow Town Hall
- Stonemasonry demonstrations
- Stained glass workshops
- Traditional signpainting workshops
- Slate riving
- Heritage walks
- Aldingham Cemetery tour
- Dock Museum pop-up exhibit
- Sankey photo archive
- Retrofit advice
- Celebration exhibition of Micro to Mighty grant scheme
There will also be a range of exhibitions at the council’s main libraries, Penrith, Kendal, and Barrow, with treasure trails additionally planned at Ulverston and Barrow libraries.
All events are free, but some require booking due to limited numbers.
For more information on all events and tickets, visit The Forum Box Office or call 01229 820000.
Councillor Virginia Taylor, Cabinet Member for Sustainable Communities and Localities, said:
“This event builds on previous successful years of activities held for the national Heritage Open Days.
“We always get a great amount of interest from the public so are pleased to share a programme of activities for the festival this year.
“It offers a great opportunity for residents and visitors to get involved, learn more about the history and heritage of the town and gain an appreciation for how and why it was built the way it was.
"The Town Hall is a spectacular building and I encourage everyone to take the opportunity to see inside and hear its stories.”
The Festival of Heritage was first established in 2021 as part of Barrow’s High Street Heritage Action Zone. Previously funded through the Historic England programme, its aim is to improve local appreciation of heritage and an understanding of correct materials and techniques to use on old buildings.
This year is the first year that the festival will be supported through funding from BAE Systems and will look beyond the boundaries of Barrow.