A people’s history festival that is scheduled to take place at Parr Hall in Warrington later this year has moved preparations online to bring the community together in a shared sense of civic pride and commitment to the town, whilst staying indoors during the Covid19 lockdown.
Time Machine is a pilot project funded by Heritage Open Days with support from Warrington BID and Culture Warrington. The town has been provided with a start up kit that comes with activity themed areas which are locally curated. These include a ‘Pop Up Picture House’ for sharing vintage films of the area and the ‘Lost and Founded Societies of Recreation’, a celebration of cultural societies and clubs. ‘Hard Hat Heroes’ showcases local people saving historic buildings at risk and Haunted! – an exploration of myths, legends and the seriously spooky. It has an ‘Antiques Road Show’ format for people to bring along their artefacts, photos and memories.
Over the coming weeks, familiar faces and Warrington’s well known ambassadors will be kickstarting conversations in the Facebook group, ‘Warrington Heritage Open Days and Time Machine’ to share content and encourage conversations and creativity. Experts are being drafted in to support the festival including author and archivist of folklore and mythology, Melanie Warren and Warrington’s own historian, Janice Hayes.
Jean Flaherty and the Warrington Crafters will be looking after the ‘Let’s Make History’ area of the festival and encouraging people to make and paint the town including knitting models of iconic buildings in the town centre. Brick Guy, Steve Guinness will be using the lockdown to build Warrington’s golden gates in Lego and sharing regular progress reports.
Pictured below is Jean Flaherty, Warrington Crafters with a knitted model of Cromwell’s Cottage.
When the scheduled event takes place visitors to the Time Machine will be invited to bring along their memories, photographs and interesting artefacts to meet the household history detectives from Warrington and Northwich Auction House and Warrington Museum. Younger visitors will also be able to meet Swyron, a Time Travelling Robot and also get close to a time travelling Delorian car, made famous in the classic Back to the Future film.
