Becconsall Logo. Tall orange capital letters read BECCONSALL. The O takes up only 2/3rd of the height of the line with an underline underneath. The last L is inside/ on top of the previous L. Underneath this, also in orange capitals, but smaller, reads LANCASHIRE'S LIVING MUSEUM & HERITAGE PARK'. The logo is within a rectangle of the same orange.
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What is Becconsall?

This is our story.

A Heritage Park for Lancashire and the North West

Our vision for Becconsall is an open-air living museum and heritage park that interprets Lancashire’s, and the North West’s, rich heritage as the world’s first industrial society.

Becconsall will reveal stories about the everyday lives of the people and communities who have shaped Lancashire through time: from Lancashire’s Viking settlements to its industrialisation and beyond.

Our attractive, 20acre site at Hesketh Bank, midway between Southport and Preston, has Biological Heritage Site status, and sits as the gateway to attractive, coastal countryside and walks. The site is part of a former brickworks. This, and the interesting local maritime and agricultural heritage, will be interpreted alongside other features, which will engage people with the wider area’s unique heritage. The living museum features will be carefully introduced into this setting so that the natural environment is conserved. The planning of the site has involved a lot of inputs from specialist ecologists and woodland experts.

This provides a brief summary, but we hope you will read-on to understand the holistic vision for Becconsall.

The Need

Whilst a number of locations might claim to be birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, it was Lancashire and the North West which became the world’s first industrial society. This transformation created a distinctive culture and identity, shaped by the region’s industries and landscapes, changes to the rural way of life and not least, its people (The Essence of Lancashire).

Whilst many museums engage audiences with the story of the Industrial Revolution, before Becconsall, nowhere in the North West set out to tell this story through immersive historical settings, and re-enactments in the form of a rural, open-air living museum of the type that can be found elsewhere across the UK at sites, such as at Amberley Museum in Sussex, Weald & Downland Living Museum in Sussex and the Rural Life Living Museum in Surrey. We have developed Becconsall’s vision and concept through extensive benchmarking across all of the UK’s living museums and a number of museums abroad.

Significantly, in these meeting, Directors of these museums (people with life-time careers in the heritage sector) pointed out the need for a heritage park in the North West, which they had, for a long time, seen as the single, populous region in the UK which did not have a rural, open-air museum.

The Concept and Content

Our concept incorporates the most successful elements of established living museums, not only in terms of the museum’s features, but also in our approach to partnerships, engagement, volunteering, wellbeing and learning.

To understand better what living museums are and what they bring to their communities, it is suggested the links to Amberley, Weald & Downland and the Rural Life Living Museum are looked at.

As set-out, Becconsall will have the site’s own distinctive local heritage at its core. Brickmaking, agriculture, maritime and transport histories, as well as introduced features representing life in bygone Lancashire such as crafts, trades and shops, will reveal the diversity of Lancashire’s history. Stories of human settlement, from Lancashire’s Vikings to industrial migration, will bring to life the experiences of the region’s people and communities through time.

Becconsall aspires to be much more than a museum. It is a genuine community initiative rooted in its village locality and in the surrounding urban areas. The nature of the initiative and its vision is one which will have positive impacts for heritage and for communities across the North West. Critically, we took our time initially so that we could invest in extensive benchmarking work with other living museums and heritage parks. This has paid dividends in terms of the vision. The benchmarking work across sites in the UK and abroad has shown us a wide range of good practice and enabled us to hone our own ideas in the ways in which heritage and engagement activities can bring a wide range of benefits for people.

Partnerships

Partnership working is central to our vision and collaboration with partners is key to the ongoing development and operation of Becconsall. Partner organisations are already involved with the site. Hesketh Bank Fishing Club is fishing the lake. Local schools and colleges are helping with tree planting. Lancashire Beekeepers will be setting up some working hives on site where demonstration of beekeeping activities can take place.

West Lancashire Council for Voluntary Service have been with us all the way on our journey and we continue to work closely with them, particularly in relation to opportunities for Becconsall to contribute to health and wellbeing for local communities. We also receive support from a great many like-minded organisations in the North West and link closely with other initiatives that are taking place locally and which benefit the community. These can be found on our Other Sites and Partners page.

We are especially grateful for the support in laying our foundations provided by Amberley Museum, Arundel, West Sussex, Weald & Downland Living Museum, West Sussex, the Rural Life Living Museum, Farnham, Surrey and The Brickworks Museum, Burlesdon, Hampshire. We will continue to work closely with these organisations. We have had detailed discussions with The Brickworks Museum over how some of their work with schools can be used by Becconsall as we start to interpret the brick-making heritage of our site.

Learning is a theme which will be woven through all of Becconsall’s activities. Through partnership working with universities and colleges in the North West we will provide good quality work experience and apprenticeships for young people. We have already provided the first internships and work experience opportunities for students from Lancaster University and Manchester University as well as some initial project work for students at Southport College. These have had good outcomes. Once Becconsall opens to the public and we have more capacity, we look forward to extending this work.

We are working in partnership with Edge Hill University to develop a range of programmes for primary school children and through which the University’s trainee teachers can get valuable experience. The first practical step in this work is through the Wild Escape (a new national initiative, led by the Art Fund) from which we have been awarded some funding.

Living museums are, by their nature, long-term projects developed incrementally over a number of years (indeed, even now, few of the long-established British living museums would say that they are ‘complete’). As a brand-new living museum, continued development will be central to Becconsall’s success. From small beginnings, as with other living museums, new features will be added incrementally. However, we will ensure that new features are within the overall narrative and do not have unmitigated impacts on the natural environment of the site.

As a living museum, Becconsall aims to present heritage through the stories of people. It is natural for it to work within a sound culture where everyone is welcome and feels at home; volunteers, staff and visitors. We will aim to manage and operate Becconsall for all, regardless of age, disability, race, gender, gender identity, religion or belief or sexual orientation.

A core part of the vision for Becconsall is that of environmental sustainability. It is intended that sustainability will not just be embraced in the infrastructure and operation of Becconsall but will be a theme to be interpreted for visitors and in particular for audiences such as school classes.

We are looking forward to welcoming our first visitors in 2025. We hope you will be inspired by Becconsall and its development and we invite you to become a part of it, as a visitor, supporter, volunteer or Friend.

Become a supporter – Donate Today!

Becconsall has its origins in a scoping study in connection with the River Douglas Linear Park, which was carried out in 2010 by consultants commissioned by West Lancashire Borough Council. This study was characterised by groundwork in data relating to employment, skills and qualifications and the visitor economy (and opportunities to expand it). The study also undertook extensive consultation and was well received.

The key outcome of this study was the identification of this site as one with strong heritage and natural environment attributes. This could become a visitor attraction, function as a key gateway to the Linear Park and the proposed Ribble Estuary Regional Park, and provide employment and training opportunities. The study also identified the opportunities to link the creation of the visitor attraction to the growth in housebuilding locally, also identified in structure plans.

The Council’s Local Plan work then went on to identify the site as part of a Rural Development Opportunity Site, which set the scene for the redevelopment of the former brickworks for housing, employment, leisure and recreation and environment uses. The scoping study also set out the need for significant funding to enable the dereliction aspects arising from the site’s former industrial use to be dealt with. Unfortunately, these funding needs and pressures on council resources prevented it acquiring the site for an open-access country park.

With the period of severe austerity and public sector cuts, the council indicated that it wanted another party to take forward the task of bringing the site into beneficial use. A voluntary, community-based organisation was therefore established in 2016 with the specific objective of safeguarding the site and establishing and operating the heritage park. Significantly, it was also established that Lancashire and the North West is the single, populous region of the UK which does not have a rural, living museum.

The partnership also had the objective of securing the future of the West Lancashire Light Railway, operated by enthusiasts on part of the former brickworks’ land. Ultimately, the light railway decided to acquire the land on which it is based and withdrew from the partnership. However, the other stakeholders have continued with the initiative to acquire the rest of the site to bring it into good stewardship as a living museum and heritage park.

Soon after the transfer of the site to the heritage park project, the Covid-19 pandemic hit, and this had significant impacts on the project’s funding, and on its work with partners who were similarly hit by the pandemic impacts. The period from 2020 onwards has therefore been very challenging, but we have been able to navigate this and have benefitted from investing a lot of time working within a number of sector support initiatives. Through these, we have secured funding for the first phase of site infrastructure works, which are now in progress, from the Key Fund (https://thekeyfund.co.uk/). We are very grateful for the close working relationship with the Key Fund and for the support provided.

We are also working closely with the Trust for Conservation Volunteers (TCV), who have done a lot of work to help bring the site into good stewardship. Amongst this work done by a team of TCV volunteers from Liverpool and the wider Merseyside area has been:

  • Clearing footpaths and tracks to create a nature trail.
  • Excavating the entrances to the World War 2 air raid shelter.
  • Clearing the site of rubbish and bringing this to locations where it could be loaded into skips. Several tons of rubbish have had to be disposed of.
  • Planting of over 800 trees supplied by the Ribble Rivers Trust.

We have forged links with other community and conservation organisations. We are also grateful to the many other individuals and partners who have helped during this period, through donations, advice and labour inputs.

An agreement has been made with Hesketh Bank Anglers for their members to fish the lake. Their members continue with the good work they too have being doing on site.

Becconsall is run by Lancashire Heritage (2018) CIC, a community interest company set-up to transform our attractive 20-acre site through the creation of a living museum and heritage park for Lancashire. Our sustainable approach will safeguard the natural environment, improve wellbeing and promote learning and skills.

The CIC is managed by a board supported by associates and intends to convert to charitable status. We currently operate on a completely voluntary basis. Our volunteers are integral to our work to develop and maintain the site, as well as deliver our programme of events and activities. The work of the CIC will also be supported by a Friends organisation.

Our heritage park, Becconsall, takes its name from what was formerly the name of the local settlement. As with many local placenames, is understood to be of Viking origin. The placename Hesketh, or Hesketh Bank (also of Viking origin), originally referred to a separate settlement slightly further north. However, with the coming of the railway from Southport in 1878, the station, which was actually adjacent to Becconsall, was named Hesketh Bank.

Stimulated by the railway, the two villages of Becconsall and Hesketh expanded and grew together and the name Hesketh Bank dominated.

Although the name Becconsall began to decline from general usage, the local parish remains known as Hesketh with Becconsall. The name also continues in Becconsall Old Church at the eastern end of Becconsall Lane, which forms the northern boundary to our site.

The Location

Becconsall is located near the centre of the village of Hesketh Bank, midway between Southport and Preston, on the banks of the River Douglas as it enters the Ribble Estuary.

Although this is a rural location, it has important links to the earliest stages of the industrial revolution in the 1700s. Here, coal from the Wigan area was transhipped from barges which had come down the River Douglas, to seagoing vessels, to be taken to markets in Liverpool, Ireland and along Britain’s west coast.

As the population of the region’s industrial towns grew, this part of Lancashire became an increasingly important food producing area, which saw the reclamation of the local marshes and peatlands for arable farming.

Geological Heritage

The site is part of an interesting topographical feature with geological heritage, being on a ridge of clay surrounded by rivers and what were peaty wetlands. It is one of the few remaining parts of the post-glacial Hillhouse Coast and prior to the development of railways and modern roads, the ridge formed an important, north-south transport route to a point where the River Ribble could be forded at low tides with the assistance of local guides.

Over many years, pits had been excavated locally in the clay to make hand-made bricks on a small scale for local buildings.

Industrial Heritage

Historic black and white image of Alty's brickworks. A very tall slim brick chimney appears from between the barn like buildings. It appears to be 4 times their height (of two-storey's each).
Alty’s Brickworks. Courtesy of Lancashire County Council's Red Rose Collections

In 1878, Southport capital enabled the building of the West Lancashire Railway to Hesketh Bank from the town. This link brought huge change to Hesketh Bank. Farmers had better access to markets, the village along with adjacent Tarleton, became a hub where freight was transferred from river to rail and a commercial brickworks was established between Station Road and the River in the strip of land immediately adjacent to the railway. This initially operated under the name of the Ainsdale and Skelmersdale Brick Company, targeting the market in the fast-growing town of Southport.

Unfortunately, the works struggled with the variability in the clay, which complicated the brickmaking process and made it more expensive. In the early 1880s, the works was bought by a young, entrepreneurial man, Henry Alty. He had applied himself to learning how to make bricks on a small scale and with his approach to the problems with the local clay, he was able to make the business a successful one. Within 10 years or so the works had more than doubled in size, outgrown its original site and clay extraction had begun in what was a huge field to the north of the works. This is the area which now forms the site of Becconsall Heritage Park.

For over 60 years clay was extracted from this area using mechanical excavators loading trucks on cable-worked narrow gauge railways. From being a relatively flat field, by the mid-1960s, the area had become a deep quarry with the base many metres below sea level. At this point clay extraction stopped and moved to land further south. After clay extraction ceased, the lowest part of the site flooded to become a lake and nature reclaimed much of the rest of the site, although the southern margin continued to be used in conjunction with Altys’ brickmaking and other business activities. Over subsequent decades, helped by some active tree planting, woodland grew around a lake and an interesting and attractive natural environment began to take shape.

Black and White historic image of Brickworks workers around the time of World War 1. They stand behind wooden portable tables with what appear to be cones on them. There are three men with casual waistcoats, one man with a dark shirt sat and three women in top and skirt and one woman in a dark top and white frilly apron. They stand in front of open barn doors.
Brickworks workers around the time of World War 1.

Regeneration

Bricks continued to be made in the village until 1970 (almost 100 years since the brickworks opened). After brickmaking ceased, some of the former brickworks site continued to be used as a builders and horticultural merchants until 2018. After the clay excavations moved in the 1960s, much of the northern part of the site was left for nature to reclaim it assisted by some tree planting. Over the period since then it has become an attractive area with a lake surrounded by woodland and has the status of a Biodiversity Heritage Site.

Decorative images of trees.
Decorative
Path through trees. Decorative
A lake reflecting green and orange autumn trees that surround it. Two blue rowing boats are seen tied up at the end of the lake. The sky is white and grey overcast.
Three threes surounded by small green plants stand at the front of the image. Behind them is a lake with thicker trees on the far side.
Decorative images of trees.

The council’s Local Plan identified the former brickworks site as one for regeneration as a Rural Development Opportunity Site; seeking mixed use outcomes: housing, employment, leisure and recreation and environment.

The housing element is being delivered by Persimmon Homes. They are currently part way through their ‘Douglas Gardens’ housing development where a wide range of homes are being built.

Visit Persimmon Homes website

Becconsall Heritage Park complements the Persimmon development, by safeguarding the attractive environment of the northern part of the overall site and creating a community asset which brings volunteering, recreational and learning opportunities and which also seeks to generate and sustain local employment.

Help us do this by donating today

Becconsall will have a wide range of permanent features around a wide range of themes, including: industries, transport, farming, education, health and municipal services. Where possible these features will provide ‘hands-on’ or guided activities. These features will be added to periodically as the site develops.

In addition to these permanent features, Becconsall will also present temporary exhibitions.

To get us closer to bringing these plans to life, we need donations from people like you. Please consider giving what you can:

Donate Now

We’d love to chat about the potential donation of appropriate artefacts relating to industries, trades, crafts and life in Lancashire and the North West in former times. If you have material you would like to donate, please use the Contact form to discuss this.

Our brand has been developed by Emily Sorrell, a talented designer based in Cornwall who received funding from Arts Council England/South West Arts during the pandemic to support organisations at Becconsall’s stage of development.

Emily was inspired by ‘frogging’, a traditional brick making technique which allows the maker to stamp their mark whilst creating a better bond for the mortar and reducing the amount of clay used for each brick. The Becconsall site was for a long time a brickworks, a driver of local industry and the economy. The bricks made on the site went on to be used in building the towns of the surrounding area.

Selection of 25 bricks in earthy shades of beige, brown, red and grey. Most have an indent in a square or rectangular shape. All have writing engraved in such as J.B & CO Larert. They appear to be company names and locations.
Our colour pallet draws inspiration from the earthy tones of fired clay to create a natural, muted palette that is warm and friendly.

Our colour pallet draws inspiration from the earthy tones of fired clay to create a natural, muted palette that is warm and friendly.

These traditional bricks act as a metaphor for Becconsall and our values.

They:

  • Represent honest work and everyday life.
  • Speak to the geological, industrial and social history of the area.
  • Are humble, but at the centre of the communities they build.
  • Represent the smaller stories that build a grand narrative.
  • Are practical but often beautiful.
  • They are built to last.

We are delighted with our brand and were very impressed by the talent and skill shown by Emily through the project to create our brand; one which is so strongly linked to the local heritage and to the vision and values of Becconsall.

We are very grateful for the support from Emily and from Arts Council England.

You can find out more about Emily’s skills and work at her website (https://www.emilysorrell.uk/about).

As a living museum, Becconsall aims to present heritage through the stories of people. It is natural for it to work within a sound culture where everyone is welcome and feels at home – from our staff to our volunteers and visitors.

We will aim to develop, manage and operate Becconsall for all, regardless of age, disability, race, gender, gender identity, religion or belief or sexual orientation.

Museums have a role in proactively addressing accessibility, inequalities and exclusion in all their forms. We will seek to fulfil that role throughout the development of Becconsall and through all of our activities, exhibitions, collections and interpretation.

The concept for the site is one which embraces sustainable development, and which interprets this as part of the visitor experience. It is intended that this be a ‘flag-ship’ sustainable development within this part of the North West. The foundations for sustainable development are laid through the alignment of the initiative with national and local planning policies and in the way this former industrial site is being re-used. Bringing the site, with its natural environment and Biological Heritage Site status, into sound stewardship is a first step in the commitment to sustainability.

Infrastructure within the site will, as far as practicable, use recycled materials and, being a heritage site, will, in due course, use buildings that would otherwise have been completely lost to demolition. The planned new buildings, which will provide visitor facilities, will have a high level of sustainability in overall design, details and materials used. They are intended to feature:

  • Extensive use of timber from sustainable sources and other materials with low carbon inputs.
  • Methods of construction which generate low levels of material wastage.
  • Lightweight construction avoiding the need for deep, intrusive foundations.
  • Use of concrete minimised.
  • Very high level of thermal insultation in walls, ground floor, roof and windows and hence low energy needs for spatial heating.
  • Energy needs for spatial heating and water heating derived from biomass produced from woodland management within the site itself or from electricity which in turn would be derived substantially from green sources, potentially solar panels on site.
  • Water consumption minimised, with rainwater recycling considered for uses such as toilet flushing.
  • Natural ventilation to control thermal heat gain in summer.
  • Use of aspect and a large south facing verandah as a year-round, sheltered, outdoor area open for visitors.
  • Surface water removal and treatment by SuDS.

Where the above details do not conflict with the actual heritage features within the site, they will also be used there as far as possible.
It is intended that waste produced from operating the heritage park will be minimised and segregated to enable a high level of recycling to take place.

Transport is a key aspect of sustainability. It is intended to encourage volunteers and visitors to use sustainable means of transport: public transport, walking and cycling where possible. The site is accessible by bus from both Southport and Preston and both of these places are very accessible by the national rail network. Becconsall is a comfortable cycle trip from Southport and Preston via quiet lanes or via the new riverbank cycle route which is under construction from Becconsall and Hesketh Bank to Tarleton where one can join the National Cycle Network Route 62.

However, for Becconsall, sustainability is not just about our site and our operation of it. It is also about how sustainability issues can be interpreted for visitors. In particular, it is intended that the sustainability features will be a feature of field studies work for children and project work for older students. The initial work on this is planned as part of Becconsall’s engagement with the Wild Escape (https://thewildescape.org.uk/).