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Culture at The Harris in Preston and Wild Discoveries nearby

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In Brief. The Harris is an imposing neo-classical cultural hub in the centre of Preston, housing a museum, art gallery, library and cafe. Recently renovated, the interior blends light modern displays with decorative original features, and both the building and its contents make this an impressive destination. Outside the city, Wild Discovery complements The Harris by providing some natural history; in practice, it is a small zoo with a collection of healthy looking residents, in particular birds and mammals. The Central Hall of The Harris from the 3rd floor. What's Here? The Harris dates from 1893, and from the start had a broad remit provided by a trust established by a local lawyer (Edmund Harris) to fund a library, museum and art gallery.  All elements are still present, with a library on the ground floor, a museum on the first floor and an art gallery on the second floor.  However, the Central Hall itself hosts a variety of displays on art and history, so overall there a...
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Art and the Army in Bury

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In Brief. The Fusilier Museum  captures the history of the Lancashire Fusiliers Regiment, which turns out to have served in a huge variety of places and conflicts during its history.  The substantial museum primarily traces its history chronologically, with descriptions of deployments, personal stories and artefacts such as uniforms, letters and weapons.  Adjacent to the Fusilier Museum is the Bury Art Museum and Sculpture Centre , which features exhibits from the town's own collections as well as evolving exhibitions. The Fusilier Museum and memorial garden. What's Here? The current Royal Regiment of Fusiliers can trace its ancestry back through the Lancashire Fusiliers to Peyton's Regiment of Foot in 1688.  As a result, the regiment has had deployments in a diverse collection of settings, as varied as the Battle of Culloden in Scotland and the Battle of the Somme in the First World War. Thus there is a lot of history to report on, and the museum contains informat...
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National Railway Museum in York

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In Brief. The National Railway Museum in York is a long established destination on the history of railways in the UK, with a large collection of engines and carriages, as well as exhibitions, for example on signalling.  The collection includes famous locomotives such as The Flying Scotsman and Mallard (the world's fastest steam locomotive), as well as an impressive collection of Royal trains from over the years. Mallard, a record holder at 126mph in 1938 What's Here? The National Railway Museum has two main exhibition spaces, the Great Hall and the Station Hall. The former features a wide collection of locomotives from the history of train travel, from a reconstruction of Stephenson's Rocket  through a variety of other steam locomotives to the Intercity 125 and the Eurostar.  Although these could perhaps have been used to tell a story on the evolution of railways, in practice the space feels more like a collection of different exhibits than a history of the railways. ...
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Biddulph Grange at Christmas

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In Brief. In common with several other gardens, Biddulph Grange near Congleton hosts a ticketed evening event in December, which primarily consists of a walk through the garden, where trees and plants have been lit up in bright colours.  In addition to this, Biddulph Grange had various themed areas, such as a decorated cottage, and areas with illuminated deer and penguins.  Our experience of these events is that the weather really matters, so with tickets sometimes selling out ahead of time, some risk-taking is involved. The weather for our Biddulph Grange visit was somewhat cold but clear, so the garden looked good and there was no need to rush back for a hot chocolate. The lake, illuminated. What's Here? Biddulph Grange, as reported in an earlier blog in this series , is a collection of diverse, engaging and sometimes quirky gardens that is well worth a visit. The festive lights follow a trail through the garden, which includes the lake (illustrated), a wooded area and seve...
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Making and Moving Salt at The Lion Salt Works and The Anderton Boat Lift

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In Brief. Several towns in Cheshire, typically those with names ending in wich (Northwich, Nantwich, Middlewich), developed in significant measure through salt production, initially from brine springs, but later from more intensive mining and extraction techniques. The Lion Salt Works  is a restored salt making site plus museum that provides a vivid introduction to the steps involved in moving from brine to sellable salt. Moving coal to the salt works and salt to markets required canals, and the  The Anderton Boat Lift , just a few miles from the Lion Salt Works, connects waterways that, among other things, supported the salt-making industry.  The Anderton Boat Lift What's Here? The Lion Salt Works sits on ground that includes two layers of salt beds. A pump extracted brine from these salt beds, which then went through a series of processes for which the original buildings and some of the equipment are preserved in the museum. These include substantial salt pans, where th...
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Motorbike, Car and Commercial Vehicle Museums

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In Brief. The British Commercial Vehicle Museum  at Leyland and the Lakeland Motor Museum near the southern end of Lake Windermere host substantial collections of motor vehicles of different types and from different periods. In both museums, the standard experience is wandering past pristine vehicles, and reading a little about them on displays.  The Lakeland Motor Museum also hosts an exhibition on Donald and Malcolm Campbell, and their land and water speed records. A vintage MG sports car. What's Here? The  Lakeland Motor Museum  hosts an eclectic collection of vehicles, including bicycles, motor bikes and cars. For many visitors, this will include vehicles that they recognise, as well as models that are now rarely if ever seen on the road. The vehicles are well maintained, and some are accompanied by some comments on the model or the specific vehicle.  With an emphasis on speed, there are displays on the Isle of Man TT races including bikes that have been ra...
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Closer to Nature at RSPB St Aidans and Lotherton Hall

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In Brief. RSPB St Aidans is a nature reserve that occupies a former open cast coal mine, and which now provides a variety of habitats for birds and other wildlife, traversed by walks of varying lengths.  Nearby Lotherton Hall is run by Leeds Museums and Galleries , and includes more managed nature, in the form of formal and less formal gardens, a deer park, a woodland walk and a small zoo. Reedbeds from the Lowther Loop Walk What's Here? The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) runs over 200 nature reserves in the UK, which tend to combine the opportunity for a walk in the countryside with some more serious wildlife photography. Evidence for the latter is how many people are packing impressive camera gear.  Some RSPB sites seem better than others for walkers, and St Aidans is one of the better ones.  There are plenty circular walks, and not just walks that lead to hides; indeed there are no hides at St Aidans, and there is a cafe with good views. In terms o...
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