A network of the most important industrial heritage sites in Europe held its European Board Meeting at the award-winning Lion Salt Works Museum in Northwich.
Attended by European Route of Industrial Heritage (ERIH) board members from across Europe, the meeting was chaired by ERIH’s vice president, Adam Hajduga from Poland.
The Lion Salt Works, winner of the National Lottery’s Heritage Project 2016, is one of ERIH’s European Anchor Points.
Mr Hajduga said: “It is a great pleasure to visit the Lion Salt Works Museum and see at first hand the excellence of its restoration and the way the story of salt has been interpreted in such an interesting way. So many industrial sites across Europe require rescue that sometimes this can seem an up-hill task so it is heart-warming to see a site that has been restored with such care and intelligence.
“I hope that Brexit will not impact on our on-going relationship with our colleagues in Britain, whose input is always useful and valued.”
UK co-ordinator of European Route of Industrial Heritage, Jonathan Lloyd, said: “Many sites across the UK belong to the European Route of Industrial Heritage. It is an excellent forum in which representatives from a range of industrial heritage sites can share best practice with each other, engage in joint projects and work together to attract more and more people to appreciate and enjoy industrial heritage. It has been great having a chance to introduce our European colleagues to this magnificent site.”
Learning development officer at Chester West and Chester Council, Kate Harland, said: “The museum is delighted that ERIH were able to hold their board meeting here.
“It was a pleasure to be able to show them how the museum has gone from little more than a dilapidated shell to a seven-times award-winning museum that engages visitors with its fun and interactive displays and its year-round activities programme. We hope they will all visit us again another day.”
The award-winning Lion Salt Works Museum opened in June 2015 after a £10m four-year restoration thanks to a generous grant from Heritage Lottery Fund of more than £5m.
The museum, run by Cheshire West and Chester Council, is the last salt-making site of its kind in Britain and one of only four such sites in the world.
Its unique status means that the museum is also a Scheduled Ancient Monument.
Visitors to the museum can enter the butterfly garden, café and imaginative play area, free of charge.
For further information, go to westcheshiremuseums.co.uk.
