NORTHWICH is preparing for a landmark in its history when the Salt Museum will be no more and the town holds its first heritage week.

On June 1, the Salt Museum will be relaunched as Weaver Hall Museum and Workhouse, and visitors will be able to explore this and four other attractions for free as part of a week-long celebration of Northwich’s unique heritage.

Matt Wheeler, Salt Museum curator, explained that the new museum will be more about the general history of the town and will eventually feature galleries on transport, domestic and community life and working life, including the salt industry and ship building.

For its first six months as Weaver Hall it will also host an exhibition by seven Northwich artists.

“In a way, this is the way we’ve been going for the past 10 years,” Matt said.

“The new name reflects the building’s workhouse history, the importance of the River Weaver and it’s the name of the property.”

All of the salt exhibits will find a new home at the redeveloped Lion Salt Works, in Marston.

Matt said: “Although we’re losing the name of ‘Salt Museum’, and some people will be a little bit upset by that, there will be a much bigger and better salt museum presence at the Lion Salt Works when that opens.

“At the moment people ring us and ask us ‘where’s your mine?’ or ‘where’s your salt works?’ – when we resurrect the collection there, it will make more sense.

“It also gives people of the local area a much better heritage offer, with the salt works, Weaver Hall and the boat lift.

“One of the reasons we’re doing the heritage week is to get people used to visiting the heritage on their doorstep.”

Northwich Heritage Week, from Monday, May 31, to Sunday, June 6, will offer visitors free guided walks of the area and free entry to heritage attractions if they pick up a souvenir programme.

These include Weaver Hall Museum, Anderton Boat Lift, the Dock Road Edwardian Pumping Station and the Lion Salt Works, where the redevelopment plans will be on display.

Organisers have also arranged for tours up the tower at St Helen’s Church.

Historian Colin Edmondson said: “Many people visit Northwich and don’t realise how much the town has to offer.

“The Lion Salt Works, the Anderton Boat Lift and the Dock Road Edwardian Pumping Station are unique attractions that you will not find anywhere else in the UK.

“Northwich Heritage Week will not only encourage many visitors to the town but will allow its local residents to understand more about the history of where they live.”

David Roberts, chairman of the Lion Salt Works Trust, said: “Visitors will be able to see the exciting new plans for the works and how we are spending our £5 million Heritage Lottery Grant.

“On Saturday, June 5, we will be unveiling our new butterfly garden followed by a butterfly walk across Neumann's and Ashton’s flashes.

“We also have the restored fly boat ‘Saturn’ with us on the Trent and Mersey Canal.”

For more information about Northwich Heritage Week visit northwich heritageweek.org.uk.

THE Salt Museum has received national recognition for one of its exhibitions. ‘Above the Clouds – Mallory & Irvine and the Quest for Everest’, an exhibition that explored the lives of Cheshire’s two remarkable mountaineers, George Mallory and Sandy Irvine, came jointly highly commended in the ‘Project on a Limited Budget’ category.

The exhibition had been nominated in the Museums and Heritage Awards for Excellence and staff attended a prestigious ceremony at London’s Church House, Westminster, on May 12.

Curator Matt Wheeler said: “We are delighted to receive this recognition from our colleagues in the industry. The exhibition was a fantastic project to work on and really struck a chord with our many visitors.”

Anna Preedy, the awards founder, said: “The event really is one to remember – the diversity of the projects submitted was truly remarkable and it is enormously uplifting to see what a difference so many of them have made in encouraging new audiences to our museums, galleries and heritage visitor attractions and often working within extremely tight budgetary constraints.”