The Kohima Museum

The Battle of Kohima in North East India, close to its border with Burma, took place between 4th April and 22nd June 1944 and marked the limit of the Japanese Army’s advance into India. Here the enemy was stopped, defeated and forced into retreat. The Japanese invasion of India was halted at Kohima!

Methil Heritage Centre

Methil Heritage Centre is a small local history museum and exhibition venue, situated in the coastal town of Methil in Central Fife. It was originally called The Lower Methil Heritage Centre and was created by members of The Lower Methil Community Association.The idea for a Museum was first looked at by the Community Association in August 1990. Kirkcaldy Museum was approached for advice and their suggestion was a Heritage Centre which could only be sustainable for six months. Premises and funding were the main concerns.

A local architect, who owned the 1936 Post Office building, offered it for rent for a six month period, and this was gratefully accepted. Funding was then secured in small bundles by tapping into various agencies e.g. Levenmouth Local Action, Community Business Fife, Local Council and anyone prepared to give money. The Post Office Building had been empty for a considerable time and needed some cosmetic work done. Friends and families of the Community Association members were recruited and within a few weeks had it ready for occupation. Kirkcaldy Museum kindly loaned artefacts, glass display cases and even their assistant curator to give advice and help set up the displays. Local people loaned or donated items of interest to Lower Methil including many old photographs, and a professional photographer gave his services without charge to copy pictures for display. The Lower Methil Heritage Centre opened on Good Friday 29th March 1991.

Birkenhead Priory and St Maryʼs Tower

The history of Birkenhead goes back beyond Victorian years. The oldest standing building on Merseyside, Birkenhead Priory encapsulates so much of the town’s history within a small, enclosed site. Founded in 1150, the monks of this Benedictine monastery looked after travellers for nearly 400 years and supervised the first regulated ‘Ferry ‘cross the Mersey’. Birkenhead Priory has received a Rics NorthWest Building Conservation Award.

Touch the ancient sandstone walls, then look up at the towering cranes of the old Cammell Laird shipyard next door.

The tower of St Mary’s, the first parish church of the town, shares the site which is now dedicated as a memorial to those lost in the 1939 disaster aboard the Laird’s built submarine Thetis. The chapter house is consecrated as an Anglican church and there is a chapel dedicated to the training ship HMS Conway. A small museum tells the story of the site and the buildings as you see them today.

Williamson Art Gallery and Museum

One of Wirral’s hidden gems, the Williamson Art Gallery & Museum is minutes from the heart of Birkenhead, on the edge of the picturesque village of Oxton. It is centrally located and easily accessible by car and local transport, with free parking.

Funded through Birkenhead Borough Council by the philanthropists, John Williamson, a Director of the Cunard Steamship Company Ltd and his son Patrick Williamson, it opened to the public in 1928.

A truly splendid building, this elegant venue now provides space to display masterpieces, ceramics, and sculptures. Housing the largest public collection of Della Robbia pottery in the UK and home to some internationally important paintings, the gallery is a perfect venue for your event.

Prescot Museum

The new Prescot Museum sees a contemporary space merge with a traditional museum. Following its relocation from Georgian premises to an indoor shopping centre, the museum has retained and enhanced many of its most popular and historically significant displays, giving them a new lease of life and a wider audience within a multi-coloured setting, sharing the venue with Prescot library and the One Stop Shop.

We seek to provide an exciting user-friendly self-led museum that reflects the huge historical significance of Prescot and the cultural identity of its community. It is a flexible space that will constantly change, with elements that will be taken out to other venues across the borough, for example our galleries, leisure centres and centres for learning. The key idea behind the museum was ‘having a conversation with…’, whether this be between objects, visitors or even through structured workshop activities; we want it to be a kaleidoscope of colours, artefacts, eras and subjects, to illustrate the rich heritage of the Prescotian community.

Astley Hall

Set in the beautiful village of Arisaig in the Highlands of Scotland, the Astley Hall is an old traditional ceilidh hall, built in 1893..

In 2000 it was renovated and now has 21st Century facilities, complete access and a hearing loop. There is a stage and the Hall can seat 118.

A varied programme thoughout the year  includes traditional music, classical  and drama. There is usually a bar or refreshments on offer during intervals. The hall is open between performances on enquiry.

Every month we run a Produce Fair which has on offer local plants, vegetables, herbs, etc plus a wide range of hand made crafts. Lunches are proviced by different local groups – last year we helped them raise nearly £6000 for their own funds.

We are also the venue for a number of wedding receptions throughout the year. Couples who decide to get hitched on a beach or in the beauty of the Highlands find the Hall is ideal for a wedding meal or buffet followed by a dance. Advice can be given on caterers, bands – even where to get a personally designed ‘Arisaig’ ring!

Towneley Hall Art Gallery and Museum

Towneley was the home of the Towneley family for over 500 years but in 1901 it was sold to Burnley Corporation. The family departed in March 1902 leaving behind a building almost completely empty except for a couple of tables and a few pictures in the chapel.

The park was opened to the public in June 1902 and in May 1903 the Great Hall and the south wing of the house were opened for a temporary art exhibition.

Today, the Museum houses a variety of displays encompassing; Natural History, Egyptology, Local History, Textiles, Decorative Art and Regional Furniture.

You are able to explore the period rooms, art gallery and learn more about Burnley’s history whilst a Mouse Trail through the Museum keeps children entertained.

Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery

As one of the first purpose built free museums to open outside of London in 1874, Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery houses a rich and fascinating collection covering fine art, decorative art, Egyptology, coins, manuscripts, natural history, social history and South Asia.

South Ribble Museum

We are a compact timber-framed Tudor building housing the Borough’s small, but interesting, museum collection. Our Exhibition Centre provides a constantly changing programme of arts events.

Moves to establish a museum, and an exhibition centre for use by local artists gathered pace when the Old Grammar School at Leyland was acquired by South Ribble Borough Council and restored to public use in 1978.

South Ribble Borough Council was created in 1974 by the amalgamation of three existing authorities. Although each area had a strong sense of its own history no provision had been made to establish a museum, and traditionally interesting items from the area were deposited in the Harris Museum at Preston where many can be seen to this day.

Harris Museum and Art Gallery

The Harris is at a transformative point in its history, embarking on a journey to Re-imagine the Harris.

Our Victorian founders’ vision was that the Harris Free Library, Museum & Art Gallery would be the focus of culture, arts and learning, an embodiment of aspirations in late 19th century Preston.
Re-imagining the Harris is inspired by those founders’ early ambitions, whilst also responding to the needs of the people of the city and the region for the next generation. It is led by the Re-imagining the Harris Project Leader, who is jointly employed by the two Councils.

Through the project we are bringing the museum and library together as a single service, developing community-led approaches to our programme and will deliver a major capital development by 2025. We have a new vision, rooted in our Victorian origins and in Preston and Lancashire as centres of innovation and making:

Joyful Making. At the Harris everyone can celebrate our creative cultural past, present and future.

Our aim is to create a seamless, high-quality offer, with audience led museum, art gallery and library services and cultural activities presenting the Grade 1 listed building and its collections more effectively. Early successes include increasing visitor figures, popular family-friendly exhibitions, an increasingly diverse events programme and Makerspace in partnership with the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan), a range of sold out live music events and becoming a founder member of the British Library’s Living Knowledge Network.