Heritage Centre

Horwich Heritage moved into its new spacious home in 2006.

The new Heritage Centre features exhibitions, a wide screen area, informal research area, and extensive archive material of all kinds plus a well stocked shop.

Located in the centre of Horwich on Beaumont Road (off Lee Lane) it is available to the public via FREE admission.

Horwich Town Council secured over £100,000 funding from the Big Lottery from a borough-wide bid by Bolton Council.

This cash, together with around £50,000 from the Town Council's own funds has provided this fantastic resource which benefits not only local people but the many visitors to Horwich as well.

This thriving Centre is staffed entirely by volunteers who are keen to help the many visitors with questions or research. Opening hours are Monday to Friday 2 pm to 4 pm and 10 am to 12.30 pm on Saturdays.

Please contact Stuart Whittle on Tel: 01204 847797 or Sue Hurst on Tel: 01204 845529 or enquiries can be made through the web site: www.horwichheritage.co.uk/. Group visits can also be arranged.

The History of Horwich Heritage

Horwich Heritage was formed in 1984 following a series of public meetings aimed at re-establishing a sense of local pride in the wake of the closure of the Horwich Locomotive Works the previous year.

At the time, there was no single body in the town dedicated to preserving its rich heritage, although the group has always been indebted to the contributions made over the years by local historians.

Horwich Heritage first began to hold it's meetings in the Public Hall, moving to Horwich Resource Centre in 1995 and gratefully acknowledges the consistent support given by Horwich Town Council , Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council and the Resource Centre to the development of its activities.

Membership currently numbers around 200 and the Group meets every month to hear from a variety of speakers on subjects of local historical interest.

The groups aims are:

• To stimulate public interest in, and appreciation of the area.
• To provide suitable premises for the display and study of the social and industrial history of the area.
• To secure the preservation, conservation, development and improvement of features of general public amenity or historical or public interest in the area.
• To develop tourism in the area through the preservation and promotion or it's heritage.
• To encourage appropriate use of the countryside in the area as part of the heritage framework.
• To develop a sense of community in the area.

These wide ranging aims have encouraged the Group to operate in a number of areas: from meetings, trips and social events promoting historical research and producing publications, from trading in heritage artefacts and momentos to educational 'outreach' in schools, from campaigning on local issues to running a Heritage Centre.

The Horwich Heritage Committee firmly believes that history is a "living" subject, that pride in the town's heritage generates a positive image which is good for public morale and business and that the development of tourist trade via Horwich's direct links with Rivington should be a key factor in any regeneration strategy for the town.

Membership: (June to June) - Adults £10.00 per annum, Concessions £9.00 per annum, Non-members £1.50 per meeting.

Meetings: 2nd Tuesday of the month at 7.30pm at Horwich Resource Centre.

Contacts: Stuart Whittle (Chairman) Tel: 847797, Sue Hurst (Secretary) Tel: (01204) 845529

Website: Horwich Heritage