Tameside to benefit from a decade of heritage funding

Portland Basin Museum, Park Bridge and Werneth Low country park are just some of the iconic Tameside landmarks that could benefit from a cash injection over the next decade.

The borough has been selected as part of The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s plan to invest £200m in up to 20 areas across the UK.

Its aim is to unlock the potential of local heritage over a ten-year period – connecting communities, revitalising local economies and enabling places to thrive.

Portland Basin Museum sits at the knotting of three canals; Park Bridge was the birthplace of the industrial revolution locally; and Werneth Low provides the highest setting in the area for archaeological finds dating back to the iron age. Tameside is placing heritage at the heart of its long-term strategy to improve lives, drive growth, and strengthen cultural identity.

Helen Featherstone, director of England, North at the National Lottery Heritage Fund described the area as ‘untapped potential’ due to it having more than 300 listed buildings and monuments. 

The strong independent identities of the nine Tameside towns alongside its mystique as a bit of an unknown made it stand out to the heritage fund bosses.

“It’s so near to the national parks and the green spaces,” Helen said. “You can see the hills from everywhere you go in the borough.

“There is a richness to Tameside’s heritage and the nine towns are very distinctive. This is about discovering the identity of Tameside and bringing it to life.

“It’s a very fascinating place and very transient with the people who have passed through. It has been a place of all different people confluencing there.”

“It’s up to the local community and working with the local authority and partners. We are just starting out, but we are trying to establish the interested parties and find out what matters to local people.

“I am sure we will discover all sorts of things important to the area that we didn’t know about before.”

The heritage boss also expressed how Tameside council’s enthusiasm to put heritage at the core of their long-term, vision to transform the borough.

Currently Ashton, Denton and Stalybridge are all undergoing town centre redevelopments – with every area’s individual heritage and identity central in the designs.

The local authority has a track record of delivering on putting the area’s heritage at centre stage when it comes to redevelopment. The transformation of Ashton Old Baths into a modern digital hub is constantly used by the council as a shining example of what the ambitious borough can achieve. 

Coun Eleanor Wills, Tameside council leader, said: “Heritage is incredibly important to us in Tameside.

“It’s not just about our buildings but it’s about our people and communities, our natural landscape, our shared histories and our personal stories – from our industrial heritage and brass bands through to our present-day Whit Friday Brass Band contests.

“It is about our extensive canal networks historically linking us to the world and buildings finding new life, such as Ashton Old Baths transforming to a forward-looking digital innovation hub. Our heritage is a key part of our future and how we grow, develop and thrive as a borough.

“It’s fantastic to have our wonderful and rich heritage in Tameside recognised at a national level and I’m excited about how this strategic partnership can support us as a wider borough and community to work together to care for, protect, strengthen and grow our cultural and heritage assets going forward.”

Tameside can expect to see around £10m of investment over the next 10 years, depending on what is needed. 

How the cash will be spent will be up to local communities, who will work with the heritage fund team as well as the local authority to come up with a plan.