Lancashire’s proud working class heritage will be celebrated at these two iconic locations

Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com 
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Visit Shots! now
Lancashire’s proud working class heritage is to be celebrated with two new projects in iconic locations.

Historic England has made £500,000 available for its Everyday Heritage grants programme in 2025, and two of them are in our area.

Duncan Wilson, Chief Executive of Historic England, said: “Across England we are all surrounded by inspiring historic buildings, landscapes and streets, rural and coastal heritage. These projects will shine a light on the stories of local, working class people and their extraordinary contributions to our shared history.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Connecting with our heritage helps us to feel that we belong and to feel pride in our local area. This programme gives communities the opportunity to recognise and celebrate their history in their own way, and to share untold stories about the places where they live so they can be enjoyed by more people, for longer.”

Darwen TowerDarwen Tower
Darwen Tower | Grzegorz Gniady

Lancashire projects

A sum of £25,000 has been granted to Lancashire Wildlife Trust for A Silent Right to Roam, taking place on Darwen Moor. This project will explore the working-class heritage of Jubilee Tower on Darwen Moor, strengthening connections between communities and sharing diverse stories.

Built in 1898 following a successful campaign by local packmen, pedlars, farmers and labourers, the tower represents a historic working-class victory that saw 300 acres of moorland passed into public possession. After the Industrial Revolution, the moors became a workers’ refuge for quiet enjoyment away from the cotton mills and coal pits.

Today, Darwen is home to rural farming communities and many South Asian communities, whose stories and perspectives will be shared over a year of co-creation. Local creative and cultural groups will work together to uncover the hidden voices of the moors and Jubilee Tower, creating a space for communities to strengthen their connections and find commonalities in their individual and collective heritage.

Artists

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Andy Mather, Project Lead for A Silent Right to Roam, said: “We're really looking forward to working with all forms of artists across the local community to highlight the role the moors have played in Darwen's past as a place of solace, work, identity and protest. We're excited to share this across the town to even further increase people's connection to their natural and cultural heritage.”

Marjan Wouda, local artist, said: “What a fabulous opportunity to find the stories hidden in our local landscape of the journeys people have made in and to this unique environment. I can’t wait to help find them and shape them creatively so that they will be great for sharing and making us better connected.”

Pendle HillPendle Hill
Pendle Hill

Pendle Hill

Pendle Hill Museum has been given £10,000 to run the project WORK/LIFE: Rural leisure for working families in Lancashire’s mill towns (1900-1980). This will de;ve into the working-class history of East Lancashire, exploring the connection between work and leisure and how workers from industrial towns embraced rural leisure facilities in the 20th century.

Focusing on the picturesque villages of Roughlee, Barley and Newchurch at the foot of Pendle Hill, the project explores how working-class families from the mill towns of East Lancashire travelled to the countryside for relaxation, transforming these tiny villages into rural leisure destinations for mill workers.

Communal picnic

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

For the first time, the project will capture working-class experiences of rural leisure pursuits as well as the untold histories of East Lancashire’s first-generation immigrant workers. By working with underrepresented groups to create a commemorative postcard series, this project will celebrate the diverse heritage of working-class leisure in the countryside, culminating in a co-created exhibition launched with a communal picnic.

Simon Cronshaw from Pendle Hill Museum CIC said: “Pendle Hill has been a place to rest and recover for many generations of Lancashire's workers. There are fantastic stories to gather from the old boating lake in Roughlee, or the many thriving tea gardens and inns around Pendle Hill. There are incredible photos hidden away in people's lofts. If we don't record these memories, they will fade with time.

“It's therefore amazing to have the support of Historic England in capturing and celebrating this rural leisure heritage in the villages around Pendle Hill. It's also a unique opportunity to reflect on our own work/life balance and how the relationship to the countryside has changed over time.”

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.

News you can trust since 1886
Follow us
©National World Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.Cookie SettingsTerms and ConditionsPrivacy notice