THE people of Warrington are being asked to dig out old photos and share stories from the past to feature in a new health and wellbeing centre.
Culture Warrington’s archives team are on the hunt for pictures which could be the final piece in the jigsaw of west Warrington’s history to be displayed in the new Great Sankey Neighbourhood Hub – one of the region’s first dementia-friendly facilities.
The charity has received a grant from Arts Council England, which has been allocated through Museum Development North West, to work with the community to display memorable pictures and pieces of art throughout the building to assist with navigation.
The hub will provide health and wellbeing facilities including a fitness suite, two swimming pools, studios, library, health space and spa for residents living in the area which has Warrington’s fastest ageing population.
Construction is now well underway and Culture Warrington is asking residents to remember the rich history of the area that the new hub will serve.
Heritage manager Janice Hayes, said: “We’ve scoured the official records in our collections of west Warrington and we have some huge gaps we need your help filling.
“We have old maps of the area to help build up a great picture of life in the late 19th and early 20th centuries but very little to tell the story of the area from the late 1940s to today.
“We believe you can help us fill in these gaps, although you may not even realise your stories and photos are of interest to others.
“We’d really like your help and would love to talk to you about your memories.”
It is hoped the images will help the team illustrate the growth of the suburbs and housing estates and a new way of life in Great Sankey, Penketh, Burtonwood, Barrow Hall Hood Manor and Westbrook.
The team would also like to hear from residents with images from the Coronation parties in 1953 and Silver Jubilee parties in 1977 for example.
To get involved, contact Philip Jeffs, archives and heritage officer at Culture Warrington by writing to him at Warrington Museum and Art Gallery, Cultural Quarter, Warrington, WA1 1JB, call 01925 443023 or email [email protected]
Picture: Great Sankey school children in fancy dress in around 1935.
2 Comments
The included photo wasn’t taken at Great Sankey Board School / Primary School as the arctecture and windows furniture is incongruent with the old school building . Though it may have been taken at the school that was on the Corner of Highfield Avenue and Liverpool, A School under the jurisdictions of the Archdiocese of Liverpool. The building is now the Woodlands Public Hous and colloquially as “Woodies”.
Interesting info Sean. I didn’t know the Woodies pub building was a school at one time. Do you know when it ceased being a school ? Did it just become an unused building maybe because another newer school was built locally so this one was simply sold off. It seems odd that a school building under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Liverpool (Catholic?) would become a pub…..
Re the photo, the caption says “Great Sankey school children in fancy dress in around 1935” rather than ‘at Great Sankey school’ so given your info maybe what it means is they were from that school but perhaps on a day out or an event somewhere…..I don’t mean they had all been taken to the pub though….but then again ha ha