A free festival to celebrate the built heritage of Westmorland and Furness is to take place this week.
Organised by Westmorland and Furness Council, the festival will take place on Friday 12 and Saturday 13 September, with free events throughout the day.
Among the planned activities are:
- Tours of Barrow Town Hall (Friday and Saturday, 10am, 11am, 1pm, 2pm and 3pm)
- Thorncliffe Cemetery graveyard tours (Friday at 5pm and Saturday at 1pm)
- Local historian talk on the early development of Barrow’s town centre (Friday and Saturday at 11am)
- Lego play sessions at Barrow and Penrith libraries
- Dock Museum pop-up exhibition.
There will also be a range of exhibitions at the council’s libraries in Penrith, Kendal and Barrow, with a heritage trail also planned at Barrow Library. At Kendal Library children can explore a display of the town’s oldest buildings, vote for their favourite with a sticker and draw their own favourite building to be displayed in the library.
All events are free but some require booking due to limited numbers.
Also opening their doors for the festival are North West Music Academy in Barrow (Friday 12 September, 12-2pm) and Holy Trinity Parish Church in Kendal (Saturday 13 and 20 September, 10am-4pm).
For more information on all events and tickets call the Box Office on 01229 820000 or visit:
https://theforumbarrow.co.uk/shows/barrow-town-hall-tours/
https://theforumbarrow.co.uk/shows/cemetery-tours/
https://theforumbarrow.co.uk/shows/central-triangle/
Councillor Helen Chaffey, Cabinet Member for Communities, Customer Services, Culture and Communications, said:
“This event builds on previous successful years of activities held for the national Heritage Open Days.
“These always generate a great amount of interest from the public so we are pleased to share a programme of activities for the festival this year.
“The event offers an ideal opportunity for residents and visitors to get involved, learn more about the history and heritage of Westmorland and Furness, and gain an appreciation for how and why our area was built the way it was.
"Barrow Town Hall especially is a spectacular building and I encourage everyone to take the opportunity to see inside and hear its stories.”
The Festival of Heritage was 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.