Document

Historic Towns and Cities in England’s Northwest

October 2005

Report to

Northwest Regional Development Agency & English Heritage

NW Towns & Cities Final Report

Locum Consulting ● EDAW J04065/DG/14/10/05/05.10.12 report Page 1

Historic Towns and Cities in England’s Northwest

Final Report October 2005



Contents

1. Overview 5

2. The Process 6 2.1 Overview of Criteria 6 2.2 Methodology 6 2.3 Selection Criteria 9 2.4 The Short-Listed Five 9 2.5 Workshops 10 2.6 Assessments 10

3. Lessons 11 3.1 Many Opportunities 11 3.2 Heritage as a Backdrop 12 3.3 Too Much Faith in Tourism? 12 3.4 A Sense of Perspective 13 3.5 Concentrating on Things to See 13 3.6 Stronger Theming? 13 3.7 Difficulty in Sustaining Heritage Attractions 14 3.8 Concentrating on Quarters 15 3.9 The Hotel Problem 15

4. The Importance of Heritage as an Economic Driver 17 4.1 The Case for Investment 17 4.2 What is Heritage Tourism? 18 4.3 Volume & Value 18 4.4 Day Visitors 19 4.5 Short Breaks 20 4.6 Visitor Profile 21 4.7 Trends for Growth 21 4.8 Heritage Destinations 24 4.9 Marketing 27

5. Categorising the Towns/Cities 28 5.1 A Continuum 28 5.2 Powerhouse Towns/Cities 29 5.3 Medieval Masterpieces 31

6. Vision and Strategic Development Priorities for Identified Towns/Cities 32

7. Chester – International Class Cathedral City 33 7.1 Context 33 7.2 SWOT 36 7.3 Vision 37



7.4 Strategic Development Priorities 38 7.5 Complementary Projects 39

8. Carlisle: Under-realised Medieval Masterpiece 41 8.1 Context 41 8.2 SWOT 42 8.3 Vision 43 8.4 Strategic Development Priorities 43 8.5 Complementary Projects 44

9. Bolton: Powerhouse – past, present and future 46 9.1 Context 46 9.2 SWOT 49 9.3 Vision 49 9.4 Strategic Development Priorities 50 9.5 Complementary Projects 50

10. Lancaster – Georgian Gem 52 10.1 Context 52 10.2 SWOT 54 10.3 Vision 54 10.4 Strategic Development Priorities 55 10.5 Complementary Projects 56

11. Birkenhead – Maritime Powerhouse 58 11.1 Context 58 11.2 SWOT 60 11.3 Vision 60 11.4 Strategic Development Priorities 61 11.5 Complementary Projects 61

Appendices

12. Application of the Criteria 65 12.1 Cheshire 65 12.2 Cumbria 66 12.3 Greater Manchester 67 12.4 Lancashire 68 12.5 Merseyside 69

13. Cheshire 70 13.1 Chester 70 13.2 Crewe 70 13.3 Northwich 71 13.4 Conclusions 73

14. Cumbria 74



14.1 Barrow-in-Furness 74 14.2 Carlisle 76 14.3 Cockermouth 76 14.4 Conclusions 77

15. Greater Manchester 79 15.1 Bolton 79 15.2 Oldham 79 15.3 Stockport 80 15.4 Wigan 81 15.5 Conclusions 82

16. Lancashire 84 16.1 Blackburn 84 16.2 Lancaster 85 16.3 Preston 85 16.4 Conclusions 86

17. Merseyside 87 17.1 Birkenhead 87 17.2 St Helens 87 17.3 Conclusions 88



1. Overview EDAW and Locum Destination Consulting were commissioned by the Northwest Regional Development Agency and English Heritage to “identify a small number of towns and cities as strategic priorities for long-term heritage related tourism infrastructure and product development where these can stimulate economic growth and deliver wider regeneration benefits”.

After having been through a selection process which started with a long list based on population size, and short-listed 15, we focused on five – Chester, Carlisle, Bolton, Lancaster and Birkenhead.

The main aim was to identify towns and cities with the heritage assets that could be used to create destinations of the highest quality, and to provide a vision as to how those heritage assets could be developed.

This report outlines:

• the process by which we selected the five towns/cities

• some general conclusions that apply across the region

• a detailed heritage related vision and development priorities for each of the 5 selected towns/cities with spatial representation generated from the conclusions of the stakeholder workshops held in each

• a short assessment of the heritage opportunities for each of the 15 towns/cities that were short-listed.

The headings that we have given to the sections on each of the five selected towns/cities attempt to encapsulate the vision that we have outlined for them:

Chester – International Class Cathedral City

Carlisle – Under-realised Medieval Masterpiece

Bolton – Powerhouse: past, present and future

Lancaster – Georgian Gem

Birkenhead – Maritime Powerhouse.



2. The Process

2.1 Overview of Criteria

The aim was to focus on towns of medium/large size that have heritage that:

• is of outstanding quality but currently under-utilised;

• could be developed in such a way as to create destinations of regional or national significance and to stimulate large scale economic regeneration;

• requires more than a straightforward restoration or improvement in interpretation and marketing in order to realise their potential.

A “wide” definition of heritage was used. It embraced the historic built environment of any era and type, historically significant landscapes and collections in museums and galleries, together with less tangible assets including cultural heritage, traditions and events.

The intention is, by shaping strategy, to help the delivery of heritage related projects and to lift aspirations – internally and externally – as to what could and should be achieved.

2.2 Methodology

We started with a list of 20 towns/cities based on population.

The reason for basing this on population is that larger towns/cities offer the greatest potential to create a destination of regional significance and achieve wider economic development and regeneration benefits.

Given the extensive range of initiatives underway in the regional poles of Manchester and Liverpool, they were excluded from consideration.

The region’s coastal resorts were also excluded as they were the focus of previous study - A New Vision for Northwest Coastal Resorts1.

1 A New Vision for Northwest Coastal Resorts, Locum Destination Consulting for NWDA, March 2003.



Figure 1: Candidate List2 Town Population Sub Region

1 Preston 184,000 Lancashire1 Bolton 139,000 Greater Manchester2 Stockport 136,000 Greater Manchester3 Blackburn 105,000 Lancashire4 Oldham 104,000 Greater Manchester5 St Helens 103,000 Merseyside6 Rochdale 96,000 Great er Manchester7 Birkenhead 84,000 Merseyside8 Wigan 81,000 Greater Manchester9 Warrington 81,000 Cheshire

10 Chester 80,000 Cheshire11 Burnley 73,000 Lancashire12 Carlisle 72,000 Cumbria13 Crewe 68,000 Cheshire14 Bury 61,000 Greater Manchester15 Runcorn 60,000 Cheshire16 Widnes 56,000 Merseyside17 Macclesfield 51,000 Cheshire18 Barrow-in-Furness 47,000 Cumbria19 Lancaster 46,000 Lancashire

Source: 2001 Census, www.statistics.gov.uk

We assessed the towns/cities on the criteria shown in Figure 2 below. Locum and EDAW have, between them, worked in or are familiar with all of the candidate towns/cities. We also used sources such as “The Buildings of England” Series by Nikolaus Pevsner, the Blue Guide and the Internet.

The proposed selection criteria and list of possible opportunities to be assessed were submitted to the NWDA and English Heritage to consider the suggested nominations and recommend any additional towns for consideration.

From that, 15 towns/cities were identified and the relevant local authorities were invited to a workshop in Warrington on 25 January 2005:

• Cheshire: Chester, Crewe, Northwich.

• Cumbria: Barrow-in–Furness, Carlisle, Cockermouth.

• Greater Manchester: Bolton, Oldham, Stockport, Wigan.

• Lancashire: Blackburn, Lancaster, Preston.

• Merseyside: Birkenhead, St Helens.

2 There are different interpretations of urban areas. In this case the Census 2001 Key Statistics for Urban Areas was used as the source for the purposes of consistency.



Each of the local authorities were asked to make a 15 minute presentation, concentrating in particular on:

• The significance and potential of heritage assets in the town/city;

• Assets that are of outstanding quality but currently under-utilised and could be developed in such a way as to create a destination of regional or national significance and to stimulate large scale economic regeneration;

• Ideas for how these assets might be used/developed more effectively;

• Ideas for how the visitor infrastructure in the town/city could be improved in order to boost its success as a destination;

• The level of support that there would be from local politicians and other stakeholders for visioning work by EDAW and Locum Destination Consulting related to the opportunity (i.e. the next stage of the project).

All 15 of the presentations were informative and interesting and we are very grateful for the work that went into them. We hope that there will be opportunities in all of them to use these presentations in other circumstances. All of the towns and cities that presented showed enthusiasm to participate in the process, and all of them cited examples of local partnerships with heritage as a priority on their agenda. Some have appointed “Heritage Champions”.

This report includes a summary of our assessment of the opportunities in all of the 15 towns and cities (see Appendices), in addition to more detailed recommendations for the 5 towns/cities that were taken to the next stage.



2.3 Selection Criteria

Figure 2 shows the criteria used for assessing the towns/cities.

Figure 2: Detailed selection criteria and weighting given to each. Weighting

Heritage Assets1 Heritage assets of major significance and quality. 252 Has underutilised assets in a defined area that can form a coherent whole and

achieve critical mass.5

Development Potential4 Has potential to create a destination of national significance. In particular, has

potential to attract a substantial number of visitors from beyond the region. 20

5 In need of long term planning, and long term allocation of resources. Heritage assets are capable of stimulating large-scale commerical development, normally mixed-use, and are likely to attract private sector interest. Such development could be integrated with the town/city centre. Has potential to add value to, or complement, other related developments or attractions.

15

6 Has strategic fit with the Regional Tourism Strategy. 107 Has strategic fit with the regeneration priorities set out in Regional Spatial

Strategy, particularly the identified Regeneration Priority Areas and key towns and cities.

10

Local Conditions8 The EDAW/Locum study will add value, not simply repeating work which has

already been undertaken or is in progress. 10

9 Enthusiasm by local authority for the assessment work to take place, to engage local stakeholders, and to progress the results.

5

Total: 100

2.4 The Short-Listed Five

Figure 3 shows the towns/cities that we recommended be taken forward to the next stage of the project.

Figure 3: Recommended Short List Towns/Cities Town/City Destination "Feel" StatusChester Roman/Medieval Masterpiece EstablishedCarlisle Roman/Medieval Masterpiece EmergingBolton Powerhouse EmergingLancaster Georgian Gem EmergingBirkenhead Powerhouse Emerging

Taking a “big picture” view, we felt that they represented a good cross section: two are classic “Powerhouse” towns, two have a feel and appeal that is medieval, with a strong Roman dimension, and one of them is Georgian in character.



One of them – Chester – is an established destination. The others are at an earlier stage in realising their potential to become firmly established destinations.

In Bolton and Birkenhead the relatively undeveloped nature of the existing destination status means that the objectives will be different from the other three more established heritage destinations. The priority in the first instance should therefore be on realising their heritage assets to deliver regeneration and re-imaging, and this will in the longer term enable them to attract a wider visitor base.

2.5 Workshops

The next stage involved holding a half-day workshop in each of the 5 shortlisted towns/cities.

• Birkenhead – 26 April 2005, Williamson Gallery

• Lancaster – 23 May 2005, Ashton Memorial

• Carlisle – 24 May 2005, Tullie House

• Chester – 6 July 2005, Bishop Lloyd’s Palace

• Bolton – 7 July 2005, The Old Grammar School.

Each workshop had two working sessions, one where the task was to identify the heritage assets with the most potential and the second was to masterplan that potential on a map.

All of the seminars attracted a good attendance and, although there was a bias to the public sector, all had a good mix of representation. All were lively and informative and generated interesting conclusions.

2.6 Assessments

This report contains our assessment of the main heritage related opportunities in each of the five towns/cities where we held a workshop.

This is intended to be “big picture”. In each case it is possible to come up with a long list of things that would be nice to do.

This risks missing the wood for the trees, however, and we have been most interested in helping stakeholders get a clear view of the big opportunities and focus on where investment will deliver the greatest impact.



3. Lessons

3.1 Many Opportunities

All of the towns and cities that we studied have interesting heritage and all of them have opportunities to use that heritage as a means of stimulating regeneration.

Each of the presentations made at the initial workshop were delivered with a passion that reflects the pride that each of the towns/cities quite rightly have in their heritage.

Each of the towns/cities has heritage assets of outstanding merit that could/should be the focus of regeneration work and could be used to create destinations of merit.

For example:

• Oldham’s majestic neo-classical Town Hall, from the steps of which Winston Churchill made his first speech as an MP, is lying boarded up in a critical location in the town centre.

• The Lion Salt Works, outside Northwich, is a particularly well-preserved example of a key North West industry.

• The area surrounding Blackburn Cathedral, including the crypt, has potential to create an outstanding Quarter connecting the Railway Station and the town centre.

• Stockport’s Underbanks could create an excellent quarter for restaurants and speciality shops, and its Art Deco Super Plaza could be the focus of an excellent public square facing the River Mersey.

• Crewe’s collections relating to its train and car industries are currently inadequately displayed. The Railway Heritage Trust has a prime 3-acre site next to the Station.

• A large part of Carlisle’s historic Castle is currently occupied by the military, and it suffers the indignity of being separated from the city centre by a busy ring road.

• A prison occupies Lancaster’s historic castle. Its quayside, possibly the finest Georgian waterfront in the country, is under-realised as an asset.

• Large sections of Bolton’s magnificent municipal buildings are being vacated and the existing public spaces are in need of revitalisation.

• Birkenhead’s Hamilton Square, within easy reach of the centre of Liverpool by ferry or train, takes its inspiration from Edinburgh’s New Town and has one of the greatest concentrations of Grade 1 listed buildings in the country.

• Chester is currently excavating its exceptional Roman amphitheatre, and its historic castle offers potential for new visitor friendly uses.



3.2 Heritage as a Backdrop

There was a slight - although by no means uniform - tendency in the presentations to think of heritage in narrow terms: how specific buildings could be turned into heritage attractions or how aspects of heritage or people that the town/city was associated with, could be promoted.

Our view is that it is a better strategy to think of how heritage assets can be used as a backdrop to development and activity that is of contemporary relevance and appeal.

The aim is to create towns and cities that are pleasant to live and work in. If they are pleasant to live and work in, they will be pleasant to visit.

There is also a particular need to avoid confirming stereotypes – that these towns have had their heyday, and now all they are fit to be are industrial museums.

Manchester and Liverpool have shown how it is possible to preserve and respect historic buildings in a way that also has contemporary relevance and appeal.

3.3 Too Much Faith in Tourism?

There was lots of evidence from the seminars that towns/cities place much faith in tourism as a generator of regeneration.

It is possible that, actually, too much faith is put in it, especially when tourism is thought of in a conventional sense of people coming on holiday.

Part of the reason that people place so much confidence in tourism is because the statistics suggest that they should. In fact, the statistics are nearly always misleading. One of the core problems is that the UK Tourism Survey, from which local statistics are generated (although UKTS is not intended for that purpose and sample sizes are not big enough when broken down to local level) always greatly under-represent visiting friends and relatives (VFR). It allocates lots of them to the “holiday” category, giving a misleading picture. VFR has seen huge growth in the past decade as more young people have left their home city to go to university and to get jobs.

It would be better in most cases to use the term “visitor economy” rather than tourism. For most of the towns and cities that we have assessed, the core task is to persuade local people and people who live nearby to visit and spend their money in the town/city centre.

Equally, there is little point in attracting people for the sake of it. A lot of the events programmes in towns and cities seem to do this – they bring people in, but there is no reason for them to spend money in the local economy while they are there. The trick is to attract visitors in such a way that they have opportunity to spend money.



3.4 A Sense of Perspective

As the initial workshop so vividly demonstrated, every town and city in the region has interesting buildings.

Every one of them has been the home of interesting people.

Every one of them could and should be doing its best to preserve its heritage and tell the story of the people who have lived in the town.

Every one of them is capable of attracting people who are interested in heritage.

The same applies, of course, to other regions in the country.

Our aim in this study is to look for opportunities that go a bit further, where there is heritage that does have potential to go beyond the norm in the impact that it makes.

Of the towns and cities that we assessed, Chester alone is currently a heritage city of international class and renown. The others are emerging destinations with potential.

3.5 Concentrating on Things to See

People and stories are important parts of creating a sense of place, and there is certainly no shortage of interesting stories in any of the towns and cities that we have assessed.

Ultimately, however, people visit places to see things. All of the towns/cities are associated with interesting individuals, but only in rare cases will they be capable of attracting visitors unless there is something authentic associated with them for the visitors to see.

“Heritage centres” that tell stories without having much in the way of artefacts were a creature of the 1980s and, to an extent, the 1990s. They have gone out of fashion and those that have opened in recent years – such as the St Patrick’s Centre in Downpatrick – have had disappointing visitor numbers.

3.6 Stronger Theming?

There might be a case for trying to do more to differentiate the images of the individual towns and cities in the region, especially those in the Greater Manchester/Merseyside Conurbation.

In the public perception, they tend to merge into each other as places where there has been a lot of manufacturing but are now in decline.

As the presentations at the initial workshop clearly revealed, each of the towns/cities actually has something different about it.

It may be to do with era – Lancaster, for example, is distinctively Georgian.



It might be the type of manufacturing that made it great, especially if that activity is still present in the town. St Helens uses this approach – glass is at the forefront of its positioning. Arguably, it could do even more to exploit this USP and to become the true “capital of glass”.

Most, if not all, of the towns/cities probably have similar opportunities to carve a distinctive niche.

Furthermore, for those tourists who are particularly interested in the history of the Industrial Revolution, more could probably be done to highlight the differing types of industry across the region and the impact that this had on local circumstances.

3.7 Difficulty in Sustaining Heritage Attractions

The Regional Tourism Strategy urges caution in the planning of new heritage attractions (or, indeed, attractions of any sort).

This is, of course, because they are not easy to sustain. There are several examples of this in the towns that attended the workshop. Heritage related attractions have been good at telling the story of the town’s industry and have played an important role in raising expectations and in finding use for key buildings. They have typically not, however, attracted the visitors that were expected and there is now a heavy financial cost to be borne by the public sector. Attractions that opened in the “lottery boom” at the end of the last decade are already beginning to feel a bit tired. There are going to be uncomfortable decisions about what to do with them in coming years.

This is not to say that new heritage attractions or museums should not be opened, only that they should be treated with caution and are seldom likely, in themselves, to lift a town/city to new heights as a destination.

Many of the towns and cities have found new heritage attractions have added to their appeal and improved their reputation, but only at a higher ongoing cost than they expected. Towns/cities need to find interesting and accessible ways of telling their stories and preserving their heritage without creating white elephants.



Figure 4: Pioneer Square, Seattle

A simple but effective and cheap means of telling the story of the historic

Pioneer Square area of Seattle – display panels under a canopy.

3.8 Concentrating on Quarters

Because we think that the focus should be more on contemporary uses for heritage rather than museums and one off attractions, we favour situations where it can form the backdrop to attractive urban areas.

We also favour situations where the heritage offer is integrated with the town/city centre and can help to raise the critical mass of the town centre as a whole.

In each of the towns/cities, the focus of heritage-led regeneration should be raising the standard of their central areas where there is the greatest potential to achieve critical mass.

3.9 The Hotel Problem

A common problem for most – if not all – of the towns/cities is the difficulty in attracting hotel investment, especially into the centre (as opposed to out of town locations next to motorways – the guests will commonly not go into the town/city centre). In most cases the quality of the hotel stock is not of the standard that people can find elsewhere.

Larger cities such as Liverpool and Manchester have had an explosion in their hotel stock in the last decade. Development has accelerated in the last 5 years. This development has, in particular, been in the four-star business hotel and budget sectors. There has also, however, been development in other sectors such as luxury townhouse hotels. Most of the development has been under brands.



Increasing business tourism during the week and short break leisure tourism at weekends has fuelled this development. It is a good combination.

On the whole, this development trend has not yet reached the centres of the mid-range town/cites in the region. This is because they do not have the office development to sustain business tourism and are not thought of as short break destinations.

Just as there has been a lot of hotel development in city centres, there has also been a lot of hotel development at motorway junctions. This makes it more difficult to attract development into the centres of towns and small cities.

The lack of hotel accommodation in itself, of course, impedes the development of tourism – both business and leisure – in the centre of medium-sized towns and cities. It is, in effect, a case of market failure. Public sector partners should work in an integrated way to prioritise and encourage hotel investment in their central areas. This may include improving the viability of development through the planning process, undertaking physical improvements to the public realm or other initiatives such as Town Centre Improvement Districts to make area more attractive to potential investors.

Figure 5: The Hilton Hotel in St Helens

Is one of the few hotel developments in the centre of mid-sized towns and

cities in the North West. Business tourists are the bread and butter of a hotel

like this, but it will in its own right attract leisure tourists, especially at

weekends. Companies like Hilton are effective in marketing such short breaks

and customers are often prepared to accept an unusual location if the hotel is

good and the price is right. Having such a hotel is, of course, helpful in

attracting investment because it is one of the services that businesses look for

in a locality.



4. The Importance of Heritage as an Economic Driver

4.1 The Case for Investment

The key reason for investing in heritage in the region’s towns and cities is that heritage provides the stimulus to economic activity.

This is because people love to be where there is a “sense of place”. The National Destination Benchmarking scheme, where visitors are surveyed in towns and cities around the country, shows that those which have a strong sense of place rooted in their heritage (i.e. typically retaining a medieval street pattern) are rated as a more pleasant place to shop than other places.

Figure 6: People like to spend time and money in towns and cities that

have a strong sense of place, as in Salzburg, Austria.

The role of heritage in delivering economic development and regeneration is not just confined to tourism. Towns and cities that are attractive to visit because of their heritage and sense of place, and have an image of being so, are also attractive to live and invest in. They can attract and support high value resident populations. Chester is an example of this – its strength in the high value financial and business services sector is in part supported by its high quality image as a city. In other words, its strength as a heritage city is an economic driver for the rest of its sub-region.

Heritage is also a direct attractor of visitors, as the information below shows.



4.2 What is Heritage Tourism?

Heritage tourism, like heritage itself, is a loosely defined proposition. The dictionary definition of heritage is

Anything from the past, especially owned or handed down by tradition.3

A visit to any destination where the primary theme relates to history or identity is likely to be at least partly motivated by an interest in heritage. The tourism industry, however, tends to take a wider view of the heritage that is all around us, in urban and rural locations, in communities and in the built and natural environments. A wider definition of heritage more suitable to ‘heritage tourism’ would encompass the additional themes of natural, cultural and artistic heritage.

One cannot draw a clear distinction between heritage and non-heritage tourism. Nonetheless heritage is a more central theme to some visits than others: a trip to the Tower of London involves heritage to a greater extent than a trip to Brighton Seafront for example, and both are more closely connected to heritage than a shopping expedition to Bluewater.

The concepts of culture and heritage possess similarities in terms of defining tourism attractors such that they may appear interchangeable. Cultural heritage is a concept so broad it can be stretched to cover a confusing multitude of different types of attraction, from a historic property to a Beatles tribute concert. Once natural heritage is included, it becomes possible to argue that heritage plays a role in motivating almost all tourism in the UK.

4.3 Volume & Value

Heritage is one of the strongest attractors of tourism in the UK. Many of the most potent symbols employed in tourism marketing campaigns are heritage attractions such as Westminster Abbey, St Pauls, Windsor Castle, the Tower of London etc. Marketing also centres on heritage themes such as Royal Family and the ancient university towns. The UK is more reliant on heritage tourism than other international destinations that can offer greater expanses of sandy beach and more reliable weather.

Powerful evidence exists that can serve to illustrate the importance of heritage to the tourism industry. In 1999, historic properties attracted 79 million visits and museums and galleries a further 77 million visits.4 The United Kingdon Tourism Survey estimates that 14% of all domestic trips involve ‘heritage sightseeing’, which is defined as visits to historic properties, churches and monuments. Although this figure appears low, it compares very favourably to other themes: the UKTS estimates that only 8% of domestic trips involve

3 Collins English Dictionary. 4 Funding Heritage; Insights; July 2000.



theme parks and commercial leisure. A further 7% of trips were estimated to involve visits to museums, galleries and exhibitions, venues that fall within a broad definition of heritage tourism.

4.4 Day Visitors

Days Out

Heritage tourism is a leading motivator of day trips in the UK. Whilst seaside resorts are the most popular venues for days out and retail and leisure venues are also very popular (see Figure 7 below), large numbers of UK residents visit museums and art galleries (29%) and stately homes (25%) every year. Moreover, heritage themes will be one of the factors motivating the 45% who reported visiting a city or town.

Figure 7: Places visited for a day out in last twelve months Category 2003 % 2000-03

Seaside resort 53 8City/town 45 3Retail complex 35 -8Beauty spot 33 6Museum/art gallery 29 3Country park 29 13Leisure complex 26 -12Stately home/historic place 25 9Zoo/wildlife/safari park/aquarium/sea life 23 5Garden 22 7Theme park (with all inclusive ticket) 20 4Sports event 20 2Farm 17 4Country show/fair/rally 16 5Visitor centre 15 10Theme park (pay as you go) 12 3Steam railway 12 4

Source: Mintel; Days Out in the UK; 2004

Visits to Attractions

Heritage is a theme with strong resonance for both domestic and overseas tourists and, indeed, many individual heritage attractions rely heavily on overseas visitors in a competitive attractions marketplace.

Museums and art galleries are the most popular visitor attractions in the UK and make up 26% of day visits and 30% of attractions (see Figure 8 below). Historical properties make up 25% of visitor attractions in the UK but only account for 14% of visits made, an average of 45,680 visitors per property, which is fairly low compared to other attractions. The low



average number of visitors at historic properties is indicative of the large number of charitable and not-for-profit organisations. Places of worship account for 3% of attractions, yet 5% of visits. The majority of places of worship are free to enter. However, the 11% that are paid-admission attracted 31% of visitors in 2002.

Figure 8: Visits to attractions by category, 2003

CategoryAttractions

(%)Visits (%)

Museums and galleries 30 26Historic houses/castles 18 11Visitor/heritage centres 8 6Other historic properties 7 3Gardens 6 5Workplaces 6 3Country parks 5 16Wildlife attractions/zoos 5 7Places of worship 3 5Farms 3 2Leisure/theme parks 2 9Steam/heritage railways 2 2Other 4 7

Source: Sightseeing in the UK

4.5 Short Breaks

4.5.1 Domestic

Short breaks are now the lifeblood of the domestic tourism industry, following the decline of the traditional two-week summer holiday and the massive increase in outbound tourism5. In recent years the number of short breaks has stabilised but visitor spend has continued to increase.

Heritage is a theme with broad appeal amongst the ‘lifestage’ groups most likely to take short breaks: pre-family professionals and ‘empty nesters’. These are the groups with the highest levels of disposable income. City breaks, which are the most likely to involve heritage sightseeing, are less seasonal than other types of holiday and account for almost twenty per cent of all domestic short breaks.

5 In 2002 short breaks accounted for 63% of all domestic holidays.



4.5.2 Overseas

The number of short breaks abroad has grown steadily, fuelled by the expansion of budget air travel. Mintel reports that the number of short breaks abroad had reached 5.2 million by 2001. City breaks – again, the most likely to have a heritage or cultural theme – are favoured by adult couples and singles without family responsibilities.

4.6 Visitor Profile

Heritage is a theme with wide appeal in the UK, benefiting from a surge of interest in ‘roots’ and identity. A survey carried out for Mintel in 2001 showed that among those aged fifteen and above, 45% had visited a historic building in the past year, while 36% had been to a museum. Historic buildings and gardens are a source of enduring interest amongst the population as a whole, which underlies the massive support for the National Trust. Membership in England, Wales and Northern Ireland stood at 3.1 million in 2003, up from 2.9 million in 2002.

By their very nature heritage short breaks and day visits are dominated by more affluent consumers, singles and couples without young children. Correspondingly, heritage themes tend to exert a greater pull on older consumers, who prefer destinations such as stately homes, gardens, steam railways, museums and galleries over leisure, retail and sports destinations.

Evidence suggests that the heritage tourism market is comprised mainly of the higher socio-economic groups with participation in heritage and cultural events being strongest amongst the AB and C1 groups. This is a source of opportunity. Because heritage tourists are high value consumers, it can be lucrative to capture their spend.

4.7 Trends for Growth

4.7.1 Special Interest Holidays

Special interest holidays are a growing market, accounting for an estimated total of 8.8 million trips in 20026. The most popular special interest themes are firstly, spectator sports, and secondly, nature breaks. A minority of trips involve a heritage-related theme. Heritage tours tend to be popular with older age groups, whereas younger consumers tend towards more active pursuits.

Several of the most popular heritage-related themes for special interest holidays are outlined below.

6 Special Interest Holidys; Mintel; 2002. The total of 8.8 million estimated special interest holidays in 2002 breaks down into 7.4 million domestic and 1.4 million oversees. The total number of special interest holiday has increased from 7.5 million in 1996.



• Faith tourism, which is a growing if not a new phenomenon. Faith trips are particularly popular in Eastern Europe. Popular destinations for Catholics in Western Europe include Rome, Avignon, Lourdes and the pilgrimage route to the to Santiago de Compostela in Northern Spain.

• Archaeology is a subject of growing public interest in Britain, stimulated by television programmes such as Time Team. Sites are often included in excursions by general tour operators, as well as special interest operators such as British Museum Tours, Swan Hellenic Cruises and Andante Travels. Customers for archaeological package tours tend to be over-45 ABs. Andante Travel sells over 1,000 tours per year and reports a high proportion of singles and women.7

• Battlefield tours, such as those run by the company Holts Tours, tend to attract customers aged thirty or over.

• ‘Dark tourism’ refers to a growing trend, visiting the sites of tragic events such as assassinations or genocide. The most visible examples in Europe are the former Nazi concentration camps such as Auschwitz.

4.7.2 Attractions

Visitor Trends to Museums and Galleries

Visitor attractions have enjoyed a sustained growth in popularity such that visits have increased by almost thirty per cent over the last fifteen years. This growth has been partly driven by demand – reflecting increases in disposable income – and partly by supply – with a rapid increase in attraction openings, especially in the last ten years and fuelled by Lottery investment. All of the national museums and galleries instigated a free entry policy in 2001, which provided a further boost to admissions.

The increase in visits made to museums and galleries is illustrated below, in Figure 9. The graph shows an 18% increase in total visits between 1989 and 2002.

7 Special Interest Holidys; Mintel; 2002.



Figure 9: Visits to Museums and Galleries 1989-2002

90

100

110

120

1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002

Indi

ces,

198

9 =

100

Museums and art galleries

Source: National Tourists Boards

Whilst visits to all attractions have increased, new attractions have opened at an even greater pace. Consequently, the average number of visits per attraction has, in fact, remained roughly constant over this period – a measure of the increased competition within the sector.

Increased competition, both from within the sector and from alternative leisure activities, the quality and value for money of the visit experience, combined with forceful marketing of destinations and attractions, are crucial to maintaining visitor numbers and income levels. To be sustainable attractions must offer high quality, up-to-date presentation and customer facilities attuned to the needs and expectations of visitors and users.

The annual publication – Sightseeing in the UK – commissioned by the English Tourism Council, surveys all attractions that receive more than 10,000 visitors and pays particular attention to those that manage to increase visits by 30 per cent or more. Over the past few years, the survey has routinely shown that the key factors in attracting large increases in visitor numbers are the following:

• New development(s);

• Increased and / or improved marketing;

• Temporary exhibitions and special events.

All three of these factors demonstrate the fundamental need for attractions to understand their existing and future target markets comprehensively to remain competitive.

Visitor Trends to Visitor/Heritage Centres

Over five hundred visitor centres are located in the UK, attracting 30 million visits per year. In brief, a visitor centre (often called a heritage centre or interpretative centre) tells a story, whereas a museum is based on a collection.



A report published by Insight in 2002 predicted further growth in the visitor centre market place but noted the necessity of investment to continually renew exhibitions and facilities, as the most successful centres offer up-to-date media and interactive displays that engage the visitor and influence their actions. However, ‘hands-on’ doesn’t necessarily mean ‘high tech’ and expensive – simple ideas are often the most effective.8

4.8 Heritage Destinations

4.8.1 United Kingdom

The National Trust

Over 200 National Trust-owned historic houses and gardens and 49 industrial monuments and mills are protected and open to the public, in addition to 250,925 hectares (620,061 acres) of countryside and 603 miles of coastline. Four out of every five of its historic houses run at a loss, leaving the Trust reliant on membership subscriptions, gifts, legacies and voluntary workers to supplement trading income.

Trust properties received 12.6 million visitors in 2003, which represents a strong recovery after the widespread closures following the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in 2001. The number of paid-admission properties that receive more than 50,000 visitors a year increased by 11% from 2001 to 2003.

Figure 10: Top 10 NT attractions with entry fee, 2003 Wakehurst Place 334,487Stourhead House and Garden 311,622Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal 285,339Polesden Lacey 254,119Waddesdon Manor 219,118St Michael's Mount 215,106Lanhydrock 208,433Sutton Hoo 202,569Corfe Castle 178,888Chertwell 178,675

Tatton Park 700,000

8 Visitor Centres, Haydn Morris, Insights July 2002



Figure 11: Top National Trust Properties in the NW, 2003 Attraction Visitor Number Admission price

Tatton Park 700,000 £2.00Dunham Massey Hall 113,401 £5.80Quarry Bank Mill 105,516 £7.00Lyme Park 75,879 £5.50Little Moreton Hall 65,971 £4.75Hill Top Mansion 62,158 £4.50Sizergh Castle 60,645 £5.00Rufford Old Hall 40,076 £4.30Beatrix Potter Galllery 28,870 £3.00Hare Hill 10,000 £2.70Source: VisitBritain

Historic Royal Palaces

Historic Royal Palaces manages the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, Kensington Palace State Apartments, the Banqueting House, Whitehall and Kew Palace with Queen Charlotte's Cottage within Kew Gardens.

Admissions were badly hit by foot and mouth and international events during 2001/02 and have the recovery has been slow. Total visits in 2003 were 2.9 million.

UK World Heritage Sites

UNESCO World Heritage Site status brings international recognition of the quality and uniqueness of a heritage destinations. The UK currently has fourteen World Heritage Sites, including Giant’s Causeway, Edinburgh New and Old Town, Hadrian’s Wall, Bath and Canterbury Cathedral.

Top Towns for Overseas Visitors

Figure 12 below shows the top twenty towns and cities in the UK visited in 2003 by overseas staying visitors. The data gives no indication of the role of heritage in motivating a visit, yet heritage attractions are likely to have played a role in the majority of cases. The figures do not include day visits.



Figure 12: Top towns for overseas visitors to the UK Rank City/town Visits

1 London 11,700,0002 Edinburgh 770,0003 Manchester 740,0004 Brimingham 720,0005 Glasgow 420,0006 Oxford 360,0007 Cambridge 310,0008 Bristol 290,000

9= Brighton/Hove 270,0009= Liverpool 270,00011 Cardiff 250,000

12= York 210,00012= Nottingham 210,00012= Bath 210,00015 Newcastle 200,00016 Coventry 180,000

17= Leeds 170,00017= Inverness 170,00019= Chester 160,00019= Leicester 160,000

Source: International Passenger Survey, ONS

4.8.2 Europe

The main attraction of a short break abroad is to visit a famous city – 43% of adults who take short breaks cite sightseeing as an appealing aspect of the experience.9 Packaged city breaks including flights and hotels are the most popular trips amongst UK consumers. Ease of access is one of the most important factors affecting the popularity of a city-break destination and the expansion of flights from UK regional airports has tapped into considerable latent demand.

Paris continues to attract far more breaks than any other city, helped in the last decade by breaks based on direct Eurostar trains from London. Direct Eurostar connections have also benefited the Belgian cities of Brussels and Bruges.

Paris receives approximately 500,000 UK tourists on short breaks and Amsterdam approximately 250,000 per year.10 Apart from Paris, other leading city break destinations include Amsterdam, Rome, Bruges, Brussels, Barcelona, Dublin, Prague, Madrid and Venice. Heritage and culture are not the only factors at play or even the most important in each case; a thriving night-time economy is one of the main attractions for Dublin and also

9 Short Breaks Abroad; Mintel; 2002. 10 Short Breaks Abroad; Mintel; 2002.



important for destinations such as Barcelona, whilst EuroDisney also draws a significant number of short break visitors to Paris.

As the number of budget flight options continues to increase other destinations are entering the market for UK short breaks. Regional cities across Western Europe have tapped into the market for heritage tourism. Equally, flights from the UK to destinations further east such as Talinn, Budapest and Istanbul have improved, bringing new competition into the market for short city-breaks.

4.9 Marketing

Promoting heritage is a key means of promoting destinations because it is what gives a sense of distinctiveness.

As the English Tourism Council’s sustainable tourism strategy states:

People, regional accents, local culture and heritage strengthen the appeal of a destination and help to create a sense of place and special identity.

Just as we take the view that heritage is of most significance in economic terms as a backdrop to economic and cultural activity, we take the view that its greatest value in marketing terms is in providing a backdrop to other activity. The product that should be sold to potential visitors is the capability of enjoying pleasant experiences in urban environments that have a strong sense of place.

There is probably also potential for improving the marketing of heritage assets specifically through campaigns aimed at identified niche audiences and through better packaging (www.yorkshireheritage.com is an example from outside the region).



5. Categorising the Towns/Cities

5.1 A Continuum

It could be said that there are two extremes in the “type” of town that were on the shortlist, at least in terms of the impression that a visitor might have.

At one end of the spectrum is what we have called “Romano-Medieval Masterpieces”- their “feel and appeal” to a visitor is pre-Industrial Revolution.

At the other end is what we have called “Powerhouse”: their ambience is post-industrial Revolution in feel.

Figure 13: A Typology for Historic Towns in England’s Northwest.

Rom

ano/

Med

ieva

lM

aste

rpie

ce

Powerhouse

ChesterBirkenhead

Preston StockportCarlisle

Northwich

Blackburn

Bolton

Barrow

Wigan

Lancaster

Cockermouth

Oldham

Crewe

St Helens

Geo

rgia

nG

ems

Chester is probably the nearest to the left side of the continuum.

Carlisle is more post-Industrial Revolution in its feel than Chester, but a first-time visitor will be struck by the Medieval feel of the Market Place/Cathedral area and, of course, its impressive Castle.

The “feel” of Cockermouth and Lancaster is Georgian. We have called them “Georgian Gems”. Lancaster is probably the only town of size in the region that is distinctively Georgian. This could be a focus of its development/marketing. We suspect that it is not commonly perceived as such.

All of the other towns/cities at the initial workshop have at least some pre-Industrial Revolution heritage, but they are all Victorian boomtowns and have a predominantly “Powerhouse” feel.

Crewe, Birkenhead (ignoring Birkenhead Priory), St Helens, Bolton, and Barrow (in the town centre at least) are probably nearest the Powerhouse end of the spectrum, with Northwich and Blackburn not far behind.



The others – Stockport, Wigan and especially Preston – are less clear-cut. They all retain strong evidence of pre-Industrial Revolution times, perhaps to an extent that would surprise a new visitor.

There are some possible high level conclusions that can be drawn from this:

• “Powerhouse” is (of course) the dominant theme for the majority of the region’s towns and cities and the general challenge for the region is how to make that a strength rather than a weakness.

• Chester has a unique position in relation to the region’s towns and cities, but Carlisle has the opportunity to make more of its rare position towards the same end of the spectrum.

• Lancaster possibly has a unique position amongst larger towns11 and cities in the region because of its Georgian character.

5.2 Powerhouse Towns/Cities

Most of the towns/cities in the 15 that made presentations at the initial workshop fit comfortably within the umbrella of “Powerhouse”.

Some of them are pure products of the Industrial Revolution. Others were market towns and still retain chunks of that heritage, but the “feel” of all of them is of places that made/make things.

They were boom towns of the Industrial Revolution. Magnificent town halls, market halls, mills, theatres, banks and parks are dominant features of their heritage.

The “Powerhouse Ring”

Many of these Powerhouse towns are in a ring around Manchester. They form part of the Manchester city region.

One of the interesting things that emerged from the Greater Manchester section of the initial workshop was the degree to which these towns increasingly recognise that, from a point of view of attracting visitors, working with Manchester makes a lot of sense.

There seems to be a high level of agreement about the “attract and disperse” philosophy outlined in the Regional Tourism Strategy, and evidence of commitment to putting it in place.

11 Whitehaven might be the nearest and could certainly also position itself as a “Georgian Gem”



Representatives of the main towns in the metropolitan area are working within Marketing Manchester, the Tourist Board for Greater Manchester. Marketing Manchester is developing marketing campaigns under the Powerhouse banner.

It is not an easy situation for these towns. They need to take advantage of their proximity to an increasingly successful destination city, without losing their individual identity. They will always be trying to work out what the right balance is, but an outward looking attitude seems to be the order of the day.

A Question of Image

Image is a problem for the Powerhouse towns as a whole. They are not thought of as places that you would normally visit as a tourist.

They are associated with environmental degradation and social problems. Because they are located so close to each other, it is difficult for people to differentiate one from another.

Most people in the country are probably unaware of exactly how wealthy these towns were in their heyday and how spectacular their Victorian heritage is.

Furthermore, popular taste in architecture does not yet place Victorian civic and industrial buildings in the Premier League.

A challenge for the region is to change that.

Mixing Past and Present

We think that the trick is to simultaneously promote the powerhouse dimension of these towns/cities in the past and present dimensions.

In other words, they should be promoted as powerhouses in the past and powerhouses in the present.

They should be proud and display their magnificent Victorian heritage, but do so in a contemporary way.

They should emphasise the products that they are proud to produce today, the contemporary cultural activity that takes place there, the cosmopolitan character that results from their multi-cultural mix.

New Uses for Grand Buildings

As mentioned above, the most striking buildings in a “Powerhouse” town/city are the magnificent, ornate civic buildings.

The North West’s town halls are one of its defining characteristics.



It is often difficult to find appropriate uses for these buildings once they are no longer needed for civic use. Birkenhead Town Hall, for example, was converted into a museum but doesn’t work well as such. The grandeur of the architecture overwhelms the Museum displays, and the Museum displays somehow detract slightly from the grandeur of the building. There are several examples of the challenge that this poses around the region – in Oldham and Bolton for example.

5.3 Medieval Masterpieces

There is considerable attraction in being thought of as a “medieval masterpiece”.

The national destination benchmarking survey, which undertakes visitor surveys in towns and cities across the country, shows that those that retain a medieval “sense of place” dominate the list of towns and cities that are regarded as the most pleasant to spend time in. Chester is at the top. It has a quality of place that no out of town shopping centre can match.

Of course, the list of cities most popular with tourists is also dominated by those with an outstanding medieval heritage, and especially those with cathedrals.

Carlisle is a medieval masterpiece. It has an outstanding cathedral and one of the most historic and interesting – especially in terms of the things that have happened in it - castles in the country.

We do not have any evidence, but we suspect that Carlisle is not thought of in this way. Perhaps even by people who live there. We suspect that, if asked, many people would categorise it as primarily post-Industrial Revolution in feel.

Caring for the Castles

A common thread between the three large towns/cities that we have placed to the left of centre on our continuum is that not as much is made of their castles as might be the case.

Carlisle’s, that has for centuries been on the front line on war between Scotland and England, is separated from the historic city centre by a major road. Lancaster’s is occupied by a prison - albeit this is a use that is consistent with its heritage. Chester’s is used as public sector offices.



6. Vision and Strategic Development Priorities for Identified Towns/Cities The following sections include a vision and strategy for how each of the five towns and cities in the region that were selected can use their heritage assets to stimulate sustainable economic development. Each section contains:

• The context;

• An assessment of the main strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats related to the heritage assets;

• A general vision of how the town/city could use its heritage assets to best effect;

• Strategic development priorities – projects where we think that investment in heritage is likely to deliver the greatest impact;

• Complementary projects that were identified in the workshops as being possible enhancements of the heritage-based visitor offer.

• A map showing priorities in spatial terms.



7. Chester – International Class Cathedral City

7.1 Context

Chester is, we think, the one city/town in the region that has the potential to compete in the international league for small heritage cities of top-notch quality.

This is because of the quality and distinctiveness of its heritage, which is exceptional.

Preparations are being made to apply for designation of the unique “Rows” as a World Heritage Site.

It has the most complete circuit of City Walls in the country.

The Cathedral is the most complete monastic complex still standing in the UK.

Regeneration of the Old Port is well under way, and a new riverside walkway is being created as the first of a number of initiatives to present the City’s heritage attractions as a coherent package.

Figure 14: The Rows, Chester.

The Rows give Chester its USP as a destination. An award winning lighting

scheme has improved the evening ambience, but a lot more could be done to

use them as a backdrop to leisure activity and to treat them with more love

and respect as opposed to a conventional high street.

The city has the idea of creating a “Culture Park” that would improve and integrate the attractions and new developments. It is intended to incorporate the proposed Amphitheatre Park, the Castle Gateway, the City Walls and the Green. The thinking on what exactly it should be is still at a comparatively early stage.



The amphitheatre was discovered in 1929. It is believed to have been built in the 70s AD.

Chester City Council, in partnership with English Heritage, is carrying out large-scale archaeological research in the amphitheatre and the surrounding areas.

Further ideas for the site include removing the wall that bisects the site, creating a public piazza in front of Dee House for leisure and cultural activities, and using the amphitheatre for staged music and drama.

Figure 15: Roman Amphitheatre, Chester

While acknowledging the sensitivities about the site and how much of it

should be excavated, perhaps, as a wild card idea, building a new

amphitheatre over the ruins of the old (preserving and displaying the remains

of the original underneath) might be an answer to Chester’s need for a

cultural facility of international class.

Chester Castle is another major heritage related development opportunity.

The main surviving part of the original great castle is the three-story red sandstone tower of c1200 named Agricola's Tower. Its top floor houses the Norman Chapel of St. Mary de Castro, where ceiling paintings have recently been discovered.

Most of the rest of the complex - the Shire Hall, courts, prison, armoury and barracks - were designed by Thomas Harrison and erected between the years 1785 and 1822. To complete his scheme, Harrison designed an impressive new entrance in the Greek Doric style, a free-standing structure similar to the Brandenburg Gate, and based on the Propylaeum of the Acropolis in Athens.12

12 www.bwpics.co.uk/castle2.html



Large sections of the complex are unused and there have been initiatives to encourage mixed-use development there.

Figure 16: The beautifully proportioned courtyard of the Castle would

seem to lend itself to a “Somerset House” type treatment.

The quality and appeal to foreign visitors of Chester is recognised in the Regional Tourism Strategy, which designates it a regional “attack brand”.

It has the great advantage of being between (more or less) Liverpool and Manchester and near both of their airports.

This provides the potentially attractive short break combinations of Liverpool-Chester-Manchester, Liverpool-Chester or Manchester-Chester. Particularly in marketing to overseas audiences, we think that the region could and should capitalise on the strength of these brand combinations.

Chester can’t afford to rest on its laurels. The major retail developments in Manchester and Liverpool provide increasing competition. Some of its tourism infrastructure is looking a little tired, and there are major parts of it that are not effectively utilised, especially perhaps the Castle.

The Northgate development, which will surround and include the 1970s Forum Shopping Centre, will help the city’s retail offer to keep pace with competition. It will be 444,0000 sq ft, including a department store, 60 new shops, 652 parking spaces, a new market and library and a centre for the performing arts. Completion is due in 2009.

The Rows, in combination with the Cathedral, is the feature that gives Chester its particular appeal and which we think is likely to be the main reason why people will always want to visit Chester and enjoy the ambience of the city.



Ultimately, they provide a backdrop for leisure and retail activity and the challenge is to make sure that the experience that people can enjoy there is one that they are not able to enjoy in other locations.

One of the key conclusions emerging from the stakeholder seminar is that there should be a considerably more ambitious strategy for the animation of Chester. There was talk of visual and performance arts events, street entertainment and more formal events.

We agree, but ideally the city should look for something that stands out from other destinations. It needs to have integrity and style and avoid pastiche (Roman soldiers etc).

7.2 SWOT

Strengths Weaknesses

• Internationally recognised brand. • Distinctive “black and white”

architecture that is “Quintessentially English” to tourists.

• The Rows. • Top rate Cathedral. • Roman Heritage and associations. • Only complete city walls in Britain. • Extensive visitor infrastructure – hotels

etc. • Strong retail offer in relation to the size

of the city. • Proximity to Liverpool and Manchester

and their airports. • Beautiful race course.

• The Rows are looking a bit tired – the quality of the public realm undermines their appearance.

• The retail offer in the central area is not particularly distinctive.

• By comparison to other European heritage cities, the Roman remains and the Walls are not memorably impressive.

• Comparatively weak cultural offer. • Relatively poor rail connections and

station is not currently well connected to the city centre.

Opportunities Threats

• Northgate development will add strengthto the retail offer and is intended to match the style of the Rows.

• Realisation of the Roman Amphitheatre, thought to be the most impressive built in Britain.

• Development of a world class cultural and “animation” offer.

• Retail development in Liverpool (especially) and Manchester.

• Development of competing tourism offers in those two cities.

• Northgate might attract retailers from the central area, leading to its degradation.



7.3 Vision

High Aspirations

We think Chester should benchmark against cities like Bruges and Salzburg.

The type of elements that should feature in a city of that standard are:

• A cultural offer that is world class – i.e. features work by artists that are of interest and familiar to an international audience.

• A selection of restaurants and hotels that are renowned and highly rated in guide books, with particular strength in the quality independent sector.

Aspirations for Chester should be high. It is a regional resource, economically and culturally.

Developing the Culture Park Concept

Chester City Council have done a lot of preparatory work on developing the concept of a “Culture Park” (the name is only a working title) and the idea is embedded in sub regional development strategies.

In essence, it provides a development framework for Chester until 2015, identifying the areas where destination related development might take place, how they might be linked, and how the whole experience might be better managed.

The Culture Park concept was presented to stakeholders in the workshop that we organised as part of the study and there was a consensus that it represented a positive way forward.

The Council has not yet decided whether the Park should be a physical entity (they appear to be leaning against) and what the actual name should be.

Our inclination is that it probably would make sense for there to be a clear physical boundary to the area and that it would be a good idea for it to have a name that encapsulates what is to be achieved and which can provide a clear vision.

We think perhaps that the concept as framed at the moment might be a bit too dispersed and it might be preferable to focus it in the medium term to a narrower area where investment would make the greatest impact.

It places, for example, the Walls and waterside loops as key linkages between different zones. We are not convinced that this is practical. Realistically, the length of the Walls is too far for most visitors to undertake and the view from them for a lot of that distance is not that impressive.



We think that there is perhaps an argument for the focus in terms of creating the “Culture Park” to be on the riverside area, Amphitheatre to Castle, in addition of course to the Rows and Cathedral area.

Style and Sophistication

The danger for a place like Chester is that it starts to feel like a tourist trap, with too many cheap souvenirs and with cheesy tourist related attractions and services.

We believe that the core of Chester’s positioning should be style and sophistication. It should be unashamedly elitist in feel – be the place where designer stores want to open, the place where international class artists perform, the place which has the best restaurants. The quality of its heritage gives it the opportunity to be elitist like this.

7.4 Strategic Development Priorities

In our view, the heritage related strategic development priorities in Chester should be:

• A top quality cultural infrastructure – this could be visual and/or performance arts, venue or programme of some sort.

• Development of the Culture Park concept over perhaps (in the short term, at least) a more focused area, perhaps covering the central area and the riverfront to the south of the centre.

• Mixed use development of the Castle with the creation of a ‘world class’ public space in the forecourt to act as an events location and ‘postcard space’ for Chester.

• Explore the potential to reduce the impact of the ring road on sensitive sites and key attractions such as the Castle, Amphitheatre and waterside area. In particular review the possibility of closing or severely restricting traffic access along Union St/Vicars Lane to improve the setting of the Roman Amphitheatre and improve pedestrian links to this from the centre.

• Innovative thinking on how to present the Roman Amphitheatre. A radical idea would be to build a modern amphitheatre over the remains with the remains displayed and interpreted below. The modern structure might accommodate other uses, giving Chester a distinctive edge and appeal in its cultural offer. It would preserve and incorporate the existing historic buildings on the site.



7.5 Complementary Projects

The following interventions could help to underpin the strategic developments outlined above, enhancing their impact:

• The creation of thematic gateways to the city’s offer – Roman, Norman, Medieval and Victorian – using key assets from these periods to attract visitors then signposting other assets from these periods around the city. An example of this would be the Castle as a ‘Norman Gateway’ point that then leads the visitor on to the City walls and other Norman buildings within the City Centre.

• The development of visitor centres for key attractions, probably connected with the Gateway approach above, such as the Rows, the City Walls and the Amphitheatre/Archaeology activity, to contain visitor infrastructure such as toilets, cafes etc.

• General improvement of public realm quality and maintenance within the centre, routes to include Northgate St, Bridge St, Grosvenor St, Watergate/Watergate St and St Werburgh St.

• Refurbishment/redevelopment of the main train station to create a high quality gateway to the City.

• The enhancement of key routes from the train station to the centre – Brook St and City Rd/Foregate/Eastgate.

• Review of built form between station and City Centre to include the planned redevelopment of Gorse Stacks to create a high quality modern gateway to the centre.

• Improved links from the coach park to the Norman Castle.

• The designation of key event spaces, encouraging year-round use to animate the City’s street life and strengthen its cultural offer. A major public space improvement scheme at the square on Northgate Street will provide a quality back drop to seasonal markets and small scale open air performances while the potential use of the Roodee as a major outdoor event space could host open air concerts.

• A chain of public art projects which raise the profile of Chester as a centre for contemporary art of an international standing.

• Encouragement of a distinctive niche retail offer within a defined quarter adjacent to the Cathedral (possibly linking with seasonal markets on Northgate Street - see above).





8. Carlisle: Under-realised Medieval Masterpiece

8.1 Context

Carlisle has the feel of a “Medieval Masterpiece”. This is a factor of the street plan, the Market Square, the Cathedral and the Castle.

Carlisle, of course, has the added advantage of its “western hub” location on Hadrian’s Wall and its Roman connections. Tullie House Museum provides an excellent interpretative facility.

Carlisle Castle, managed by English Heritage, has a 900-year history and offers perhaps the city’s greatest heritage based opportunity.

Commanding the western end of the Anglo-Scottish border, it witnessed almost constant conflict for much of its history. The keep receives a star from the Blue Guide, indicating exceptional quality.

Figure 17: Carlisle Castle

Is one of the most historic and interesting buildings in the region, but is

divorced from the city centre by the inner ring road.

The King’s Own Royal Border Regiment, and its museum, occupy buildings within the Castle walls.

It is blighted by the Inner Ring Road, which severs it from the Cathedral and the historic core of Carlisle.

Efforts were made to overcome the road problem as part of a project funded by the Millennium Commission. Two new pedestrian links were made. One was an underpass, incorporating a new gallery for the Tullie House Museum. The other is the Irish Gate



Bridge. The possibilities of tunnelling the road were investigated prior to the preparation of the city’s application for funding for a project to celebrate the Millennium. It was found to be very difficult from an engineering point of view and would cause unacceptable disturbance to archaeological remains.

The construction of a northern relief road which, we understand, has now been given the go ahead, seems to offer the potential for calming the traffic and addressing this problem seriously.

Figure 18: Carlisle Cathedral

The magnificent Decorated Gothic East window of Carlisle Cathedral is one of

the glories of this underrated medieval masterpiece.

8.2 SWOT


• Medieval feel and street plan. • Castle has fascinating stories having

been focal point of English/Scottish conflict.

• Outstanding, little known, Cathedral. • Key western hub on Hadrian’s Wall, a

regional priority for tourism development.

• Not known as a `heritage’ city. • Separation of Castle from town centre

by Inner Ring Road. • Lack of vibrancy in the city centre at

night. • Lack of quality accommodation in the

city centre. • Limited catchment population.



• High quality collections in Tullie House. • Success of the “Christmas City”

programme.


• Calm the traffic and perhaps reduce the width of the Inner Ring road. Through-traffic removal via the proposed Carlisle Northern Development Route will help make this possible.

• Use this to develop a defined “Old Town” quarter.

• Develop the Castle as a major destination

• Develop Tullie House into a regionally significant destination.

• Further develop the Christmas City theme, using the medieval backdrop to develop a distinctive offer.

• Encourage inner city residential development in order to increase vibrancy.

• Any development may not be sustainable if significantly more visitors are not attracted to the city.

8.3 Vision

Our vision is that Carlisle could capitalise on its medieval street plan to create the ambience of a highly attractive heritage city.

In the medium term, a key element of this would be reducing the width of the Inner Ring Road and calming it and developing the Castle for more visitor-oriented activity.

Another key element would be the continued upgrading of Tullie House as a hub location on Hadrian’s Wall.


• Reducing the impact of the Inner Ring Road between city centre and Castle by down grading the route following the completion of the relief road. New pedestrian crossings should be introduced, possibly including a public space which spans the road between Castle Street and the Castle area, with slower traffic speeds encouraged through measures such as introducing changes in road surfacing.

• Development of a Cathedral Quarter, mixing ecclesiastical buildings with new residential and leisure activity. Use the development to open up a new route through to the town walls on West Walls from Castle Street.



• Enhancing the role of the city in telling the story of Hadrian’s Wall and acting as a key hub, in particular through further development of Tullie House.

• Development of the Castle as a key destination with improved visitor facilities.


• High quality public realm enhancement of the Crescent and Court Square to provide a world class environment on entering the city by rail (and road from the south).

• Architectural lighting of city walls and key buildings in the town.

• Reinterpretation of the City Gates – English Gate, Irish Gate and Scotch Gate – through sculpture or public realm improvements.

• Potential redevelopment of City Council offices as part of a review of built form in NE corner of the town centre and roundabout to form a ‘Scotch Gate Masterplan’.

• Enhancement of key links within the town.

• Possible new park along West Walls to enhance setting of town walls and provide attractive drop off point for a potential park & ride scheme.

• Encouragement of the use of the main square as an event location including continuing and expanding the Christmas Market but also introducing new events such as farmer’s markets to diversify the offer and complement the high street retail offer.





9. Bolton: Powerhouse – past, present and future

9.1 Context

Bolton is the archetype of the many towns and cities in the region that are characterised by their magnificent Victorian and Edwardian architecture, commercial (mills etc) and civic. It has excellent examples of both, with a particularly impressive civic quarter.

Bolton has been a centre of textile production for about 1000 years. In the 14th Century, its reputation attracted Flemish weavers, who introduced spinning and weaving. They gave the town a reputation for quality. Cotton was first produced in 1641. Production was ratcheted up by the inventions of two Bolton men – Richard Arkwright's Water Frame and Samuel Crompton’s spinning mule. The first spinning mill was built in 1780.

Perhaps the most interesting heritage related challenge in Bolton, and in the region as a whole, is the development of its Civic Quarter.

The fine Victorian civic buildings are the epitome of the municipal pride that is such a distinctive characteristic of the Lancashire mill towns and, we think, will increasingly be valued and treasured by visitors and locals alike.

The imposing town hall was completed in 1873 after an architectural competition, which called for a non-Gothic plan, in order to differentiate it from other Lancashire towns. The front of the building has a six-column portico reached by a wide staircase. As Pevsner says, “The scale of the building is grand throughout”.13

The Town Hall currently holds municipal offices, and has a number of performance spaces. The building suffered major damage from fire in 1981. This destroyed the original old Albert Hall performance space, which was rebuilt in its former Victorian style and modernised.

Victoria Square is a pedestrianised section of Newport Street, which is in front of the town hall. Formerly this was the Market Square (which moved to Churchgate in 1824). The area was pedestrianised in 1971.

Behind the Town Hall is Le Mans Crescent where classical municipal buildings of some panache can be found.14 These municipal buildings currently house the Bolton Museum, Art Gallery and Aquarium, as well as a magistrate’s court and police station. The museum has a notable Egyptology collection, and also collections in natural history and local history. The museum complex has dated displays, and has no café or substantial shopping offer. However, the building itself is a fine example of 19C civic architecture on the grand scale.

13 Pevsner, Nikolaus. The Buildings of England: South Lancashire. p. 81. 14 Ibid.



Figure 19: Bolton Towns Halll’s clock tower is 200ft in height

The court and police station are scheduled to move from the civic buildings, and The Bolton Plan 2004-2005 notes the potential that this could provide opportunity to revitalise the museum and create a cultural quarter.

Figure 20: Le Mans Crescent

The Crescent offers a major destination related development opportunity,

both inside…



Figure 21

…and behind, where a new public square could provide the focus for a

combination of public buildings, residential, and a high quality

leisure/evening economy offer.

We think that there is an opportunity for one of the powerhouse towns to take “Powerhouse” as the focal point of its positioning and to make itself “the national capital of Powerhouse”. Bolton could be the one.

The focal point of that could be a major new attraction that it dedicated to the Powerhouse idea – not just the past, but the present and the future.

It could, in effect, be an attraction about things were/are/will be made. There seem to be considerable opportunities – it could incorporate functions such as design and marketing in addition to manufacturing.

We found in the stakeholder seminar that the idea of powerhouse being adopted as a central theme in Bolton was well received.



9.2 SWOT


• Magnificent civic quarter. • Outstanding record of industrial

achievement. • Good access.

• Does not at the moment have credibility as a destination.

• Difficult for outsiders to differentiate from other old Lancashire mill towns.

• Lack of tourism infrastructure such as hotel rooms.


• Build on the Powerhouse theme. • Le Mans Crescent becoming vacant – one

idea for redevelopment is a quality hotel.

• Creation of a new public square/cultural quarter at the heart of mixed use development behind the Le Mans Crescent.

• Build on the current trend toward inner city residential development to enhance the vibrancy and appeal of the town centre.

• Rediscover river system in town centre

• The town is overshadowed by development elsewhere, such as Preston.

9.3 Vision

Our vision is of Bolton building on its heritage as a place that made things, things of quality that were shipped to all corners of the world, to show that it is still a place that is world class in designing and making things.

It terms of urban planning, it would use its exceptional civic quarter to establish a destination of quality.

In particular, it would use the opportunity provided by the potential to vacate current uses from the Le Mans Crescent and to develop a high quality mixed use cultural quarter behind it.




• Development of land adjacent to the Le Mans Crescent, containing a range of land uses under the Powerhouse theme.

• Relocate museum and aquarium to new purpose built facilities of highest possible architectural quality in the Knowledge Quarter; possible sites include corners at junction of Black Horse St and Great Moor Street.

• This will allow the reuse of Le Mans Crescent buildings as high quality hotel and residential with conference facilities forming the centre-piece of an 18hr economy area.

• Greening and improving of the urban environment through the development of new park within Knowledge Quarter and the enhancement of key links within the centre – Oxford St/Cheapside, Churchgate, Knowsley St and Hotel Street.


• Longer term development of riverside project could include opening up the river as it passes through the town centre, possibly canalising it as a navigable route. Rediscovering the riverside for the town with a chain of improvements and development projects along line of the river.

• Improvement and expansion of Queen’s Park to provide a green gateway to the town, bringing green environment into the centre by linking with green space around the Court building and the possible new park in the Knowledge Quarter as well as connecting with the revitalised river system.

• Encourage the development of niche retail provision within the Town Centre in a defined quarter.

• Proposed development of a transport interchange by relocating the bus station to a new facility adjacent to the railway station.

• Encourage more events to be held in Victoria Square to create a real focus for increased on-street activity.

• Potential for new mixed-use development at North end of Bath Street on the site of a surface car park. Development to include multi-storey car park some residential and a small green space to frame views out of the town centre.

• A review of the built environment to the South of the Market around Moor Lane and Trinity St. to tie in with improvements in the Knowledge Quarter. Possible location for state-of-the-art Health & Well-being Centre and the 21st Century mill (a centre for textile excellence in the Powerhouse theme) which could combine with the new development sites at junction of Black Horse St and Great Moor Street to create a high quality modern gateway to Bolton.





10. Lancaster – Georgian Gem

10.1 Context

Lancaster is, like Carlisle, a city with a long and fascinating history that is not quite punching its weight as a destination.

It is different from most of the others on the list in that it is Georgian in feel.

Figure 22: St George’s Quay

St George’s Quay, possibly the finest remaining Georgian maritime quarter in

England. Other “Georgian Gems” in Lancaster include the Old Town Hall (now

City Museum) of 1783 and the Music room of 1730-40

As with the separation of Carlisle’s Castle from the town centre by a major road, there is a very clear anomaly in Lancaster – the occupation of the Castle by a prison. As in Carlisle, the solution to that anomaly is not easy, but it is such a major detraction from the quality of the town that it must surely be addressed in the long term. In the meantime, however, it does have the advantage that the building is maintained.

Lancaster Castle is situated above the old part of the city overlooking the mouth of the Lune River. It houses functioning courts and a prison. At present there is no scheduled date for the re-location of these facilities but it is conceived that they will move in the next 10 to 20 years.

About a fifth of the total complex is open to the public when the courts are not in operation. Despite this, the castle has about 32,000 visitors a year15 (not high by comparison to other leading heritage attractions) and a programme of cultural events. It

15 Christine Goodier, Shire Hall Manager.



participates in the European Commission's Raphael '98 Reprise Programme, which aims to develop and promote cultural heritage buildings previously used as prisons.16

Figure 23: Lancaster Castle

An under-realised heritage opportunity.

Figure 24: The Priory Church of St Mary

Outstanding Perpendicular Gothic architecture and exquisitely carved oak

stalls (c1340)

16 For more information on the reprise project see www.comune.firenze.it/reprise/reprise.htm



Traffic is a major problem in the city. The heavily congested A6 loop through the city has the effect of severing the Castle from the centre. The M6-Heysham link might help to relieve this in the longer term.

10.2 SWOT


• Predominantly Georgian character of the townscape – unique for its size in the region.

• Famous name that makes it sound as though it must have an interesting past.

• Occupation of the Castle by a prison keeps the building maintained.

• A strong university.

• Castle occupied by a prison. • Comparative weakness of

accommodation offers, especially in the city centre.

• Comparative weakness of the cultural programme.

• Traffic dominated city centre.


• Exploit the fact that it is the only major town/city in the region of Georgian aspect.

• Develop destination use for Vicarage Fields to link the city centre and Quayside.

• Further development of Quayside, • Make more of proximity to the Lake

District. • Lancaster seems to have particular

opportunity to develop an outstanding festival. One idea that came up in the workshop is for a Festival that would highlight the work of people – performers, chefs etc. – in their early 20s. A young chefs festival could– realisethe skills of the students of the Lancaster and Morecambe college.

• Poor planning could result in the city losing its Georgian character.

• Further tourism and hotel development in Lancaster is restricted in an attempt to revive Morecambe’s tourism offer. Morecambe currently appeals to a different market – although should change over time – and demand is unlikely to be substitutable.

10.3 Vision

To build on the Georgian heritage to position itself as the “Bath of the North”.

This is not intended to imply a focus on the pastiche – Georgian festivals etc.

It is intended to imply that the quality and style of the Georgian heritage is celebrated and used as a backdrop to a stylish and distinctive retail and leisure activity.




In our view, the heritage related strategic development priorities in Lancaster should be:

• In the short term, work within the existing constraints to make more of the Castle’s potential through events and interpretation. Undertake an assessment of the potential for internal reconfiguration so that the areas of most significant interest are publicly accessible. Ideally this would involve relocating the visitor entrance to the Gatehouse. In the long term, find a publicly accessible use for the Castle.

• Reduce the severance impact of traffic on the A6 loop through the city centre. This could include pedestrian priority measures at key junctions such as Market Street and Church Street.

• Enhancement of Church Street (a fine Georgian Street leading to the Castle Gate) through pedestrianisation and the application of ‘world class’ public realm improvements. The use of high quality materials in a modern, refined streetscape scheme should provide a setting that complements, rather than competes with, the fine architecture of the street.

• Celebration and marketing of the “Georgian Gem” theme.

• The creation of a new park (St. George’s Park?) for the City Centre as part of the Castle Quarter, combining Vicarage Fields with the adjacent sports ground to connect the Castle and Priory with St.George’s Quay. This can be achieved through the removal of barrier planting to open up views to the Quay from the Castle area as well as laying out new routes, possibly with bridges over the disused railway line.

• Definition of specific ‘event locations’ or performance spaces – St.George’s Quay and the new park in the Castle Quarter.

• Public realm improvements along the river front at St George’s Quay, encouraging more active ground floor uses and integrating with the Luneside urban village.

• Review development opportunities in canalside locations to use the canal as a connecting, rather than dividing element within the City Centre. New uses could include waterside apartments, hotels, restaurants and bars, adding to the City’s overall offer with a Canalside entertainment quarter.

• Review of built form and new development of the highest modern architectural quality within the City Centre expansion area to form the anchor point to both the new Canalside Quarter and the City’s retail core.




The following interventions will help to underpin the strategic developments outlined above, enhancing their impact:

• The enhancement of the square on Market Street in a similar style to Church Street (outlined above).

• Public realm enhancement along key routes in the ‘Georgian Quarter’ – King Street, Market Street and Penny Street.

• The development of the Luneside urban village to extend and enhance the offer of the Quayside, carrying on the waterside route. High quality new development and refurbishment of historic buildings can provide new mixed-use accommodation, increasing the waterside activity through new cafes and restaurants.

• The development of pavilion structures within the new park could provide a purpose built modern visitor centre for the Priory, Castle and Roman Fort. These structures could house cafes and toilet facilities for visitors encouraging longer stays and more activity within the park.

• Refurbishment of the listed Storey’s Institute to create a quality cultural facility and strengthen the visitor offer of the Castle Quarter.

• Improved links from Castle Quarter to train station.

• Improved links from St.George’s Quay back to City Centre.

• Possible development of a park&ride link which can double as a tourist public transport link with Williamson Park.





11. Birkenhead – Maritime Powerhouse

11.1 Context

Across the river from Liverpool, Birkenhead was one of the greatest centres of shipbuilding in the world. It has numerous heritage assets including the immense docks systems, Birkenhead Park (widely reputed to be the first public park in the world and currently undergoing a £6 million restoration) and an interesting collection of historic warships.

From a built heritage point of view, one of its finest attributes is the magnificent Hamilton Square and the adjoining streets.

The Square was designed by J. Gillespie Graham, one of the architects of Edinburgh’s New Town, and laid out in 1825-44. It is the focus of one of the largest collections of Grade One listed buildings in the country.

Over £80 million was invested in “The Hamilton Quarter” in the mid-late 1990s. It was used to develop attractions, support arts and culture, refurbish historic buildings, improve the shopping and business area, improve traffic and environment, and enhance security (including CCTV and Townsafe). Market Street was given a face-lift and 250 new homes were built. Almost 500 buildings were restored and refurbished.

The Town Hall and Birkenhead Priory, dating from 1150, were restored, and the successful International Guitar Festival and Hamilton Jazz Festival were organised.

The work has had a very positive impact on the quality of the public realm and the visitor offer, but there is still a long way to go to achieve the aspiration of becoming a vibrant “cultural quarter”.

It is not unreasonable to expect that this aspiration could be attained. The Hamilton Quarter lies between the Woodside Ferry Terminal and the town centre. A masterplan for a mixed-use development of the Woodside area has been prepared. This has a good chance of success in being implemented due to its excellent views of the Liverpool waterfront and its outstanding transport connections with the centre of the city. It could include a hotel and other reasons for visitors to disembark from the Mersey Ferry.



Figure 25: Birkenhead Town Hall (1887) on Hamilton Square has been

restored to form the Wirral Museum

Figure 26: The Royal Liver Building is visible from Hamilton Square.

Mixed use development of Woodside – on the Birkenhead waterfront – would

signpost Birkenhead, give tourists a reason to get off the Mersey ferry, and

make the Hamilton Quarter an attractive place to live.

That, in turn, will change perceptions of the Birkenhead side of the Mersey – as development in Gateshead has done in the North East – and tip the balance in favour of the vitality of the Hamilton Quarter.



There is work to be done there on exactly how it could take advantage of this. Key issues include the possibility of pedestrianising or reducing the traffic on Argyle Street so that a pavement café culture can develop.

11.2 SWOT


• The inherent quality of Hamilton Square and the surrounding streets.

• Investment made in the “Hamilton Quarter” has provided foundations for sustained regeneration.

• Easy access from Liverpool by train or ferry.

• Large number of tourists using the Mersey Ferry.

• Views looking towards Liverpool. • £6 million refurbishment of Birkenhead

Park, supposedly the world’s first public park and inspiration for New York's Central Park.

• A variety of attractions.

• Does not currently have credibility as a destination.

• Mixed quality of the urban realm. • Main thoroughfare – Argyle Street – is

traffic congested and has a boisterous nightlife offer.

• Several scattered attractions, currently with little critical mass.

• High level of socio-economic disadvantage.


• Mixed use development at Woodside which will connect Hamilton Square to the Mersey.

• European Capital of Culture. • In the medium to long term, possible

development of the Dock area for residential and leisure use.

• Failure to find new economic vitality for Birkenhead exacerbates socio economic problems.

11.3 Vision

Our vision is of Birkenhead developing a similar sort of relationship to Liverpool as Gateshead has developed in relation to Newcastle – seen as an inherent part of the city’s visitor offer.

The cornerstone of this would be the development of a vibrant and attractive leisure and retail offer based on the Hamilton Quarter and on waterfront development (exploiting views of Liverpool).




In our view, the heritage related strategic development priorities in Birkenhead should be:

• High quality mixed use development on the waterfront at Woodside, well connected to Hamilton Quarter. Although the Woodside development itself is not greatly heritage related, it is, in our opinion, key to the continued regeneration of the Hamilton Quarter through both improving the setting of the area and establishing a new higher-income residential population to sustain a quality food and drink offer. This development could provide a quality evening economy offer for the town, maximising on fantastic views of the Liverpool Waterfront world heritage site as a unique location for restaurants and bars. In the development of the Woodside area it will be important to maximise public access to the waterfront.

• Further investment in the Hamilton Quarter, in, for example, making Argyle Street more pedestrian friendly, in order to develop a “Rope Walks” type effect there. Encourage the development of a quality food/drink offer in Hamilton Quarter to provide increased animation of the area in the evening.

• Relocation of the Historic Ships collection to a more suitable site. This will require the opening up of a new navigable link as the identified docks are currently land locked.

• In the longer term, mixed use redevelopment of the dock system to maximise setting of warships and develop critical mass of activity in ‘Maritime Quarter’.

• Review of the use of the museum to possibly create a high quality daytime destination, possibly including corporate functions/ conferencing facilities as well as more active/retail uses.

• Public realm improvements of the highest order in the Woodside and waterfront area to provide a memorable entry point for ferry arrivals, enhance the setting of historic buildings and create a desirable location for new development.


The following interventions will help to underpin the strategic developments outlined above, enhancing their impact:

• Public realm improvements on link between Hamilton Square and the docks and ferry area to encourage linked trips.

• A review of the built form and public realm, with potential new development, around Birkenhead Priory.

• Development of a new warships visitor centre, possibly a glass dome structure to house submarines, which could be lit at night to animate the dock edge.



• Architectural lighting of key landmarks such as the Ventilation Shaft building and the relocated warships to provide an attractive and memorable Birkenhead waterfront to be viewed from Liverpool.

• Defined ‘events spaces’ or performance locations in Hamilton Square and the improved square at the passenger ferry drop off in the ‘Woodside Waterfront Quarter’.





Appendices



12. Application of the Criteria

12.1 Cheshire

Wei

ghtin

g

Che

ster

Cre

we

Nor

thw

ich

CommentsHeritage Assets

1 Heritage assets of major significance and quality.

25 10 3 4 Chester is of international signficance.

2 Has underutilised assets in a defined area that can form a coherent whole and achieve critical mass.

5 8 8 8 All have defined heritage related development opportunities.

Development Potential4 Has potential to create a destination of

national significance. In particular, has potential to attract a substantial number of visitors from beyond the region.

20 10 3 3 Chester is already a destination of national significance, but there is potential to strengthen its position as a must see destination on the national stage.


15 10 10 10 This applies in all three cases.

6 Has strategic fit with the Regional Tourism Strategy.

10 10 5 5 Chester is a Regional " Attack Brand"

7 Has strategic fit with the regeneration priorities set out in Regional Spatial Strategy, particularly the identified Regeneration Priority Areas and key towns and cities.

10 8 6 6 Chester identified as a historic city (Policy EC9) requiring continual conservation with sensitive integration of new development (Policies SD3 and ER3). All three are key towns / cities outside the North West Metropolitan Area (Policy SD3).

Conditions8 The EDAW/Locum study will add value, not

simply repeating work which has already been undertaken or is in progress.

10 8 6 6 Crewe and Northwich have undertaken masterplanning work


5 10 10 10 All three have shown an enthusiasm to participate.

Total: 100 950 545 570



12.2 Cumbria

Wei

ghtin

g

Bar

row

Coc

kerm

out

Car

lisle



25 5 5 7.5 Carlisle is ahead in this respect.


5 7 7 7 True in all three cases.



20 3 4 9 All have potential, but Carlisle has some star assets.


15 10 7 9 Applies in all three cases.


10 4 8 8 Cockermouth is on the border of the Lake District, which is a regional Attack Brand. Hadrian's Wall is a designated " development" brand.


10 8 4 8 Carlisle identified as a historic city (Policy EC9) requiring continual conservation with sensitive integration of new development (Policy SD3). Carlisle and Barrow are key towns / cities outside the North West Metropolitan Area (Policy SD3). Barrow is within West Cumbria and Furness Regeneration Priority Area. Cockermouth has role in supporting the tourism economy around the Lake District (Policy EC9).

Conditions8 The EDAW/Locum study will add value,

not simply repeating work which has already been undertaken or is in progress.

10 7 9 9 Applies in all cases, but perhaps a little less in Barrow because a large amount of regeneration planning has been done there already.

9 Enthusiasm by local authority for the assessment work to take place, to engage local stakeholders, and to

5 10 10 10 Applies in all cases.

Total: 100 610 605 838



12.3 Greater Manchester

Wei

ghtin

g

Bol

ton

Old

ham

Sto

ckpo

rt

Wig

an



25 6 6 6 6 All have good assets, without being in the top echelon.


5 8 8 8 8 Applies in all 4 cases.



20 5 5 5 5 All can do better, but difficult for them to truly meet this criteria.


15 8 8 7 6 Bolton and Oldham perhaps have slightly clearer town centre opportunities, but there is not much in it.


10 3 3 3 3 None are priorities, althought they fit into the Powerhouse theme.


10 8 8 8 8 All four are within North West Metropolitan Area and identified as a key town (Policy SD1 and Key Diagram 3).


not simply repeating work which has already been undertaken or is in progress.

10 9 7 5 7 Stockport has just had a masterplan done. Bolton is still at early stages of thinking about the future of its Civic Quarter.


5 10 10 10 10 Applies in all cases.

Total: 100 660 640 605 610



12.4 Lancashire

Wei

ghtin

g

Bla

ckbu

rn

Lanc

aste

r

Pre

ston



25 6 8 7 All have outstanding assets. Lancaster perhaps slightly ahead.





20 4 7 5 The qualities of Lancaster, inlcuding its location, give it the edge.




10 3 3 3 The Strategy does not give particular priority to any of them.


10 8 9 8 All three are key towns / cities outside the North West Metropolitan Area (Policy SD3). Lancaster identified as a historic city (Policy EC9) requiring continual conservation with sensitive integration of new development (Policy SD3) and is adjacent to Morecambe Regeneration Priority Area (Policy SD3). Blackburn is within East Lancashire Regeneration Priority Area. Preston identified as a historic town requiring continual conservation with sensitive integration of new development (Policy SD3).


not simply repeating work which has 10 4 8 4 Lots of visioning work has already been

done in Blackburn and Preston.9 Enthusiasm by local authority for the

assessment work to take place, to engage local stakeholders, and to

5 10 10 10 Applies in all 3 cases.

Total: 100 605 765 650



12.5 Merseyside

Wei

ghtin

g

Birk

enhe

ad

St H

elen

s



25 8 5 Birkenhead a bit ahead in this respect, especially because of Hamilton Square.


5 9 4 Ditto.



20 6 4 Immediate proximity to Liverpool is an advantage to Birkenhead in this respect.


15 9 9 Applies in both cases.


10 6 4 Birkenhead is potentially a part of the Liverpool city offer (Regional Attack Brand)


10 8 8 Both are key towns within the North West Metropolitan Area (Policy SD 1).

Conditions8 The EDAW/Locum study will add value, not

simply repeating work which has already been undertaken or is in progress.

10 7 7 Both have had a lot of work done, but there is potential for fresh thinking.


5 10 10 Applies in both cases.

Total: 100 760 600



13. Cheshire

13.1 Chester

Described in the main body of the report.

13.2 Crewe

Crewe, by contrast, is a “Powerhouse Town”, a product of the 19th Century. It has a good collection of buildings and artefacts that are testimony to its success as a manufacturing centre.

It came into being when the engine works of the LNWR were built at the junction of the lines to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Chester.

The works were world famous for the production of steam engines. They are now owned by Bombardier and are still operational. A good collection relating to the Works is not on public display.

Crewe is synonymous with the railways, but its railway heritage is underdeveloped.

'The Railway Age' is a railway heritage attraction adjacent to the Crewe railway station (although, ironically, it takes about 20 minutes by foot to get there from the station, the walk traversing a Tesco car park). Its total income last financial year was only £40,000 and it struggles to survive financially. Its collection include the prototype Advanced Passenger Train, a gas turbine locomotive, steam locomotives, three signal boxes, and a miniature railway. There is a viewing area of the Crewe north junction.17

Figure 27: Prototype of the Advanced Passenger Train

17 www.therailwayage.co.uk



Forerunner of the Pendolino tilt trains that now ply the West Coast line, is

one of the star attractions in Crewe’s “hidden ” transport collections.

The rather forlorn condition of the artefacts presents a sad image to passengers on the West Coast Line and perhaps reinforces misconceptions about Crewe.

Visiting steam engines - Shap Duchess, Cumbrian Mountain Express, Anglesea Coronation, Chester Chuffer - pass through, but are unable to stop (other than to take on water), because there are no visitor facilities.

Crewe also has a fine heritage of building luxury cars. Its Rolls Royce – now Bentley - plant dates from 1938. Bentley also has a good collection of cars and artefacts associated with the plant, but it is not on public display.

Railways and car production is still a feature of present day Crewe, and it can present itself as a centre of top class engineering and production.

New manufacturing, engineering and hi-technology companies in Crewe include the Cheshire Clothing Company, producers of the costumes in The Matrix Trilogy. Crewe is rightly regarded as a key gateway location for the region, and there is probably potential for developing a visitor destination that takes advantage of that gateway location. It could showcase the rail and road collections and the best of modern manufacturing in Crewe.

There seems to be opportunity for that within the context of development of the Railway Station. Plans for the station’s redevelopment include restoration of original features to return the station to its former glory of 1837.

Cheshire County Council, Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council and the NWDA have commissioned a Masterplan for the area spreading south and east from Crewe Town Centre, with the west coast main line at its heart. It is expected to be complete by autumn 2005.

Proposals include improvement of the rail station as the ‘gateway’ to the Northwest, expansion of the Manchester Metropolitan University Campus, improved transport facilities, regeneration sites for leisure/hotel development, and development of a Crewe business park.

13.3 Northwich

Northwich’s salt mining heritage gives it an interesting story and an interesting and a distinctive built environment – its characteristic “magpie” buildings were constructed to avoid subsidence caused by the mining under the town.



The area produced most of the nation’s salt supply in the 19th Century. This led to the development of the chemical industry in its proximity. It is one of the few places in the UK where rock salt can be extracted, although the strata were only discovered in 1670.

Salt production expanded in parallel to developments in transport through the creation of the Weaver Navigation, 1710, and the Trent and Mersey Canal, completed 1777.

The canal network is one of the features of the area and Northwich is at the heart. The Anderton Boat Lift, on the outskirts of the town, is an icon of the Industrial Revolution. Built in 1875, it was the world’s first boat lift and is known as the "Cathedral of the Canals". It has been restored by British Waterways as a “flagship project” and has a new visitor centre.

Figure 28: The canal and river network was critical in the development of

industry in the area and now offers substantial recreational

opportunities.

In addition to the town’s museum, the Lion Salt Works, outside the town, is a rare, perhaps unique, survival of traditional inland salt works. Dating from the end of the 19th Century, it was purchased on closure in 1986 by Vale Royal Borough Council to prevent its demolition.

The standing buildings and structures on the site illustrate the whole process of salt production and date from the late 19th and 20th centuries. Many, however, are now in a very poor state. Limited emergency structural repairs have been carried out in recent years but decline continues. Vale Royal District Council has plans for full restoration.

The Works are an integral part of the industrial landscape of canals, earthworks, flashes and other subsidence features, housing and factories in Vale Royal.

Northwich Vision plans to make the most of this distinctive sense of place by reclaiming flashes and investment in footpaths, tow paths, river access points and a new cultural facility.



The catalyst for development is a £32 million English Partnerships funded programme that will stabilise four abandoned salt mines beneath the town and prevent subsidence. Due for completion in 2007, this will unlock 30 acres of prime development land in the centre of the town.

There are also proposals for it to be at the heart of a new Weaver Valley regional park.

13.4 Conclusions

Our view is that Chester should be the subject of the next stage in the study.

Heritage Assets

Both Crewe and Northwich presented a strong case as emerging destinations and, in some senses, it was unfair competition for them.

Whereas Chester’s heritage assets are clearly of international significance, Crewe and Northwich’s are of a more regional importance and it is unlikely that they would have the ability to attract large numbers of visitors to the region.

Development Opportunities

All three have lots of opportunity for development using their heritage assets, and have difficult and complex sites that require vision.

Although Chester is already in the Premier League of UK heritage cities, it could be higher up that League. The Regional Tourism Strategy positions it as a regional “Attack Brand” and, therefore, it has higher strategic priority.

Conditions

There are imaginative ideas for how this might be achieved, but they are still at an early stage and could be given a higher profile. Crewe and Northwich already have a substantial amount of visioning and master planning work in place and we would probably be able to generate greater added value in Chester.

Overall, both Crewe and Northwich presented a strong case as emerging destinations, but there are others on the list with that status whereas only Chester is currently a well-developed destination, and that brings particular implications that are worth special study.



14. Cumbria The three candidates are very different and each could, and did, make a good case for inclusion in the final five.

As with the other sub-regions, there are also other candidates in Cumbria, Whitehaven particularly so. Unlike other Powerhouse towns in the region, Whitehaven was at its most powerful in the 18th Century. It is a “Georgian Gem”, one of the most complete examples of planned Georgian architecture in Europe. Major investment has taken place in the town centre and the harbour area, including new attractions such as the Rum Story and the Beacon. Further proposals include a tall ships centre and destination based on Haig Colliery site.

Figure 29: Whitehaven Harbour

Investment in the Harbour and in the town centre has created a tourism gem

on the West Coast.

14.1 Barrow-in-Furness

Barrow-in-Furness is, in a sense, a classic “Powerhouse” town, but it has the added dimension of significant medieval and natural heritage in its immediate vicinity.

It grew from a small hamlet to the world's largest producer of iron and steel and then to a major ship-building force in a space of only 40 years.

In its presentation, Barrow was described as having a “masculine robustness”, a good description and one that applies to many of the Powerhouse towns.

The grid street pattern and the virility of the architecture tell of a no-nonsense town that built things.



Figure 30: Furness Abbey

With Dalton Castle and recently restored Piel Castle form a wealth of

medieval heritage around Barrow.

A Townscape Heritage Initiative programme will help to restore some of this proud heritage. There has also been tourism-oriented development of the dockyard, where a Museum built over an original Victorian Graving Dock opened in 1994. A permanent exhibition 'Shipbuilders to the World' includes the museum's collection of fine ship models and computerised interactive displays using images from the Vickers Photographic Archive

The proposed development there of a cruise terminal for the Lake District will substantially raise the profile of the town as a destination.

In the post industrial world, Barrow, like the other towns on Cumbria’s West Coast, needs regeneration and tourism could and should play a part in that.



Figure 31: Barrow’s red sandstone Town Hall of 1887.

One of many examples of classic “Powerhouse” architecture in the town.

14.2 Carlisle


14.3 Cockermouth

Cockermouth is representative of many market towns in the region, and especially of the towns that encircle the Lake District National Park. It was designated a “Gem town” by the British Council for Archaeology in 1965.

It has a “star” attraction in the form of the Wordsworth House, which has had major investment, and a range of other attractions in and around it.



Figure 32: Jennings Brewery

One of a cluster of attractions in and around Cockermouth

It is well located in relation to the Lake District, with the added attraction that it does not feel “touristy” in the way that some of the Lake District towns and villages do.

The centre of the town is unspoilt and the construction of a ring road has taken through traffic out of the town centre, giving it another advantage versus the towns and villages in the heart of the National Park. The possibilities offered by reduction in traffic to improve the public realm have not yet been taken and, generally, the public realm is a bit tired.

The Market Place is a particular opportunity for smartening up and, perhaps, upgrading the retail and food and beverage offer in a way that will have a lot of appeal for visitors and residents alike.

Independent retail dominates commercial activity in the town. As is normally the case in such situations, the sector is fragile and always under threat from out of town multiples and development in larger centres. Nevertheless, it gives the town a character that many others do not have. Cockermouth is part of the Market Towns Initiative programme being taken forward by NWDA and partners.

14.4 Conclusions

Our view was that Carlisle should be studied in more depth.

Heritage Assets

Carlisle comes out top on these criteria because of the depth of its heritage and importance of its medieval buildings and street pattern. It is one of the few examples in the region of this.



Barrow is a “Powerhouse” town, typical of quite a large number on the list. Cockermouth is smaller and it is somewhat invidious to make comparisons with the other two. It is a Georgian gem with exceptional qualities, but we think that Carlisle outranks it in the quality and potential drawing power of its heritage.

Development Opportunities

We think that Carlisle comes out ahead on this also, most particularly because of the potential of the Castle, which is an unexploited asset and which, in the long term, needs to be reattached to the city centre.

Because of its history, its location and the quality of its key heritage assets, we think that Carlisle has a lot of potential to “raise its game”. Doing so is important in the context of the strategy for developing tourism in the Hadrian’s Wall area and, therefore, is a high strategic priority for the region.

Conditions

There seems to have been less master planning work so far in Carlisle than in other towns and cities in the region and, therefore, there is a lot of potential for us to add value, probably more than for the other two candidates.



15. Greater Manchester

15.1 Bolton


15.2 Oldham

On the edge of the Pennines, and with its huge collection of mills, Oldham has a distinctive sense of place and lots of opportunity.

Figure 33: 138 mills remain open in Oldham.

Many are still used by quality manufacturing operations like Ferranti

Technologies and Zetec Semiconductors.

Finding a viable and sustainable use for the Old Town Hall (1841) is possibly one of the most significant heritage challenges in the region. It is modelled on the Temple of Ceres near Athens. Winston Churchill became the MP for Oldham in 1900, and made his acceptance speech from the front steps.

Oldham Beyond, the current masterplan18, sets as one of its aims the creation of a network of high-quality public spaces and civic landmarks that would have at its heart a new Town Square, overlooked by the Old Town Hall. This could be achieved as part of the development of the shopping centre.

18 Oldham Local Strategic Partnership/ NWDA, May 2004



Figure 34: Vision of Old Town Hall with Shopping Centre, one of the options for this magnificent reminder of past wealth and confidence.

Alternative proposals for the Old Town Hall include using it as replacement for the ageing Coliseum, the current home of the Oldham Theatre Workshop and the Oldham Music Service.

The Award Winning Oldham Art Gallery has already added significantly to the cultural offer of the town. There are proposals to add to the critical mass of the cultural offer with a new building for the regionally significant Coliseum theatre and a new library and local history museum.

15.3 Stockport

With a good location on the edge of the Peak District and close to Manchester Airport, Stockport has got a lot going for it as a destination.

The topography of the town is interesting and, in the Underbanks, it retains a distinctive and interesting “historic market town” core that is in need of redevelopment and could create an quality leisure quarter.

The town has recently opened a good quality heritage attraction, Hat Works, telling the story of the town’s signature industry. It also offers tours of 5 miles of the World War II air raid shelters that were tunnelled under the town. Staircase House, a 17th Century mansion in the heart of the historic Market Place, has been restored with funding from HLF, EH, SRB, ERDF, and the Council. It is being integrated with Stockport Story, the town’s new local history museum in new and listed buildings with accommodation above.

Stockport also has other aspects of its heritage that offer potential for development, including the Plaza Cinema, one of the UK's finest surviving ‘super cinemas’ of the 1930s. It first opened in 1932, and was built in an impressive Art Deco style. It was reopened as a cinema and theatre in October 2000 after a restoration programme.



Figure 35: The Art Deco Plaza Cinema

This has been restored and reopened and is identified in the town centre masterplan as the

focus of a new Public Square with a major water feature.

The Plaza is located on Mersey Square, which is identified as one of the key spaces for attention in the Future Stockport masterplan. This vision incorporates new café, bar and restaurant outlets, new ground and first floor with office space, access to riverside walks and a substantial water fall feature called ‘The Force’.

15.4 Wigan

Like Stockport, Wigan retains a strong pre-Industrial Revolution feel at its heart. The reputation of the town, exacerbated by unfortunate recent publicity, is unfair. The town centre is attractive and it has a good location.

A Roman town that received its Royal Charter in 1246, Wigan was an important centre of coal mining and cotton textile production during the Industrial Revolution. It is where two important canal systems join, and was the main unloading point for charging coal to canal barges. This small jetty became known as ‘Wigan Pier’ as a result of a music hall joke.

Wigan was a pioneer of using heritage to attract tourists with its Wigan Pier development. The Wigan Pier Conservation Area, centred on the Canal, contains a number of listed buildings. Several major tourism oriented developments have taken place there in the past 20 years. They include The Way We Were, the Museum of Memories and the HLF-funded refurbishment of the Steam Engine in Trencherfield Mill.



They are now in need of refreshment. There is a strategy and masterplan that sets out the framework for the Wigan Pier Quarter over the next 10–15 years, including connecting it better into the town centre. 19

Figure 36: Wigan

“Such is Wigan’s perennially poor reputation that I was truly astounded to

find it has a handsome and well maintained town centre” -Bill Bryson

The conversion of Trencherfield Mill to flats and offices is underway, with a private developer planning to start work on site in May 2005. The wider site is likely to include a new build performance venue to replace the current Mill at the Pier, an arts and heritage offer, and commercial space with a cultural theme.

Current thinking puts this development at the heart of a new ‘Wigan Pier Cultural Quarter’ emphasising the importance of creativity and the arts in Wigan. However the capital funding available for new build and public realm improvements (part of the deal between the Council and the site developer) may limit the scope of work.

15.5 Conclusions

This is perhaps the closest of the sub-regions. Our recommendation is that Bolton should be the subject of the next stage in the study.

Heritage Assets

19 Wigan Pier Quarter, Strategy and Masterplan. Planning and Development Department, Wigan Council



All have outstanding assets and it is difficult to separate them. In Stockport and Wigan they are of a more mixed age, whereas the others are more obviously “Powerhouse” in character.

Development Potential

All four towns have opportunities for imaginative use of their heritage assets – the Old Town Hall in Oldham, Mersey Square and the Underbanks in Stockport, Wigan Pier etc. However, we think that the possibilities of the Civic Quarter in Bolton are particularly interesting, especially since the buildings epitomise a characteristic that is a particular feature of the region – the impressiveness of the Victorian and Edwardian civic architecture. None of the towns are particular regional strategic priorities in terms of tourism development.

Conditions

Bolton is perhaps ahead in this category because it is still at an early stage of thinking about the future of the Civic Quarter and there is, therefore, perhaps more potential for us to add value. More planning work seems to have been done on the main opportunities in the other towns.



16. Lancashire

16.1 Blackburn

Blackburn is a classic “Powerhouse Town”, built on the cotton industry. It has many fine remnants of its glory days, including the Lewis Textile Museum, built in palazzo style in 1858, the Victorian Gothic Museum and Art Gallery (1871), and King George’s Hall (1913).

It suffered badly from post war development, but good heritage-related regeneration work has already been completed.

Figure 37: Waterloo Pavilions on Church Street in Blackburn

Award Winning Restoration of the Waterloo Pavilions on Church Street in

Blackburn part-funded by the Townscape Heritage Initiative. Through traffic

was removed as a result of the Orbital Route around the edge of town,

allowing the creation of a more pedestrian friendly situation.

Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council has formed a partnership with InPartnership/Bovis Lend Lease to redevelop the town centre, and have published (in draft for consultation) an ambitious draft masterplan. The Council has obtained approval from the NWDA for a £13.5 million grant to support its regeneration objectives.

The masterplan includes redevelopment of the market, a new shopping mall, hotel, and uncovering the River Blakewell (which is currently in a culvert).

There are also plans to do more with the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, creating a Canal Quarter.

Furthermore, the Cathedral, which is part medieval and part 20th Century and contains one of the finest collections of 20th Century church art in the country, is planning a mixed-use development around it. This could create an attractive quarter linking the station with



the town centre. The crypt of the cathedral has lots of potential as a focal point to this quarter.

16.2 Lancaster


16.3 Preston

The traditional county town of Lancashire, Preston has a long and distinguished history. It is promoting itself as an “historic city”.

The Preston Guild, to be held again in 2012, provides continuity with this past – the first recorded Guild was in 1328. It is the only such celebration still being held in Britain.

Preston was the site of perhaps the most important battle in the Civil War, and it has a long history of religious diversity.

The city has a lot to offer the visitor. It retains its medieval street pattern and impressive Market Place (Flag Market). The Harris Museum and Art Gallery is perhaps the finest museum and art gallery – architecturally and in terms of collection - in any of the region’s medium sized towns/cities. It is the home of the National Football Museum. The early 19th Century Winkley Square is exceptionally fine.

Figure 38: The Harris Museum and Art Gallery

One of 440 listed buildings in Preston, 3 listed Grade 1 and 17 listed Grade 2*



Designation as a city has given Preston new confidence and the chance to uprate perceptions that are held of it.

There are many other development opportunities that could, over time, transform the nature of the city. Not least of them is the Tithebarn development in the city centre that will radically improve its retail and leisure offer and the extension of waterside development along the Ribble into the heart of the city.

The City has done a lot of work in thinking about how it should develop. This includes and Overview of Regeneration Initiatives (Urban Strategies 2003), a plan for New Library/Cultural Centre (BDP and EKOS 2003), a City Centre Strategy (BDP Donaldsons 2004) and a Regeneration Strategy and Prioritised Action Plan (GVA Grimley 2004). A Riverworks Study is currently being prepared.

16.4 Conclusions

We recommended that Lancaster be considered in more detail at the next stage.

Heritage Assets

All three have high quality assets, but we think that Lancaster has an unusual niche in the region in that many of its most interesting buildings, and the character of the town as a whole, is primarily Georgian.


There is lots of potential to develop heritage assets in all three of the candidates, but we think that Lancaster has a slight edge, mainly because of the potential of the Castle and St George’s Quay, both outstanding assets that are currently little used as tourism assets.

None of the candidates are currently regionally strategic priorities for the development of tourism, but we think Lancaster’s location offers the potential to develop a balanced tourism offer with a combination of business tourism and short breaks.

Conditions

Unlike Preston and Blackburn, there does not yet seem to have been a lot of thinking about what Lancaster could be like in the future. There seems to be greater potential for us to add value there.



17. Merseyside

17.1 Birkenhead


17.2 St Helens

As late as the 19C St Helens did not exist. It was formed from the parishes of Windle, Parr and Sutton, and was named for St Helens parish church in Windle, about 12 miles (19 km) north east of Liverpool.

The glass industry was established in the town, and the St Helens Canal was built in 1757 to supply it. Glass is still a major employer, the Pilkington works dominating the town.

Pevsner was not complimentary, writing that ‘the centre is one of the least acceptable in Lancashire.’20

A lot has been done to rectify that and to improve the destination offer, especially with the award-winning World of Glass. The World of Glass has as its focus the Pilkington Glass collection, which is given a star by the Blue Guide, indicating exceptional quality. Like other projects of its nature, however, it has struggled financially.

St Helens is well located and has an innovative City Growth Strategy. The town has even managed to attract a Hilton Hotel development adjacent to the town centre, an aspiration of many other towns of similar size.

In glass, the town has a USP that we suspect could be developed further, not necessarily in terms of further investment in the displaying antique glass, but in terms of presenting itself as the modern “capital of glass”. Pilkington is a world leader in mass glass production, but there would seem to be potential to develop other dimensions of the glass theme.

St Helens also has a good “transport” story. It was the location of Stephenson’s “Rocket” Railway trials, and the world’s first passenger railway. There are proposals to restore the St Helens-Sankey canal, the first industrial canal in the world, and to connect it to the national canal network. The town also displays a good collection of vintage buses in its transport museum.

20 Pevsner, Nikolaus. The Buildings of England. p. 384.



Figure 39: The World of Glass

This is a fine heritage attraction and has done much to lift the reputation of

St Helens. There seems to be potential for further development of the “glass

theme” in a contemporary manner.

17.3 Conclusions

Our view is that Birkenhead should be the subject of the next stage in the study.

Heritage Assets

Both Birkenhead and St Helens are “Powerhouse” Towns.

Both had good reason to be on the final list.

They have many commonalties. They both offer incredible stories of achievement during and after the Industrial Revolution. They both suffered great decline which knocked their self-confidence. They have both done lots of good regeneration work. And they both have a long way to go.

We think that Birkenhead is ahead in the quality of its heritage assets, mainly because of the quality of Hamilton Square and the adjoining streets.


We also rank Birkenhead higher on this measure, again mainly because of the potential of the Hamilton Quarter/Woodside, which can be seen as an extension of the central Liverpool visitor offer (this gives it an edge as a regional priority for tourism development).

We think that it would be unfortunate if the momentum that was created there was lost.



Although there are certainly opportunities in St Helens, and it has, in glass, a USP that could be further be developed, we do not think that they are as obvious as in Birkenhead.

Conditions

Although lots of work has been done in both towns on regeneration and thinking about the future, we would be able to add value in both, possible to more or less the same extent. Birkenhead may have the edge in that it has completed a development masterplan for Woodside and there is thinking to be done as to how the Hamilton Quarter fits into it.

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