Celebrate Ribble Valley's history and culture as Heritage Open Days returns for 2020

For the first time, online events can be included in England’s largest festival of history and culture and the Ribble Valley programme has taken advantage of this, as well as having a Clitheroe family-oriented high street quiz and a guided tour of one of the town’s three ancient monuments.

Alongside these, a number of online events enable you discover heritage treasures from landscape paintings showing Ribble Valley more than a century ago to new aspects of the beauty of local rivers.

Maureen Fenton, member of the Clitheroe Heritage Open Days Steering Group, said: "Several of the online events will be available throughout the ten days of the festival so you can choose when to enjoy them.

"When you’ve had your fill of local heritage, of course, we’ve also got the opportunity this year to explore history and culture in all corners of England without stepping outside the front door."

A full programme of events can be found below:

Friday 11th to Sunday, September 20th

Ribble Valley Revealed, Clitheroe – selected images by local artists revealing their favourite natural and heritage treasures in paintings and photographs, craft work and poems will be given to a shop window on the high street, at various locations in the town centre.

Ribble Valley Revealed - Virtual Exhibition – the high street exhibits, with additional images and comments from artists, are also available to view online throughout the festival.

No booking required

Ribble Valley Reveal - Mini Hidden Gems, Clitheroe:

Stroll around the town starting at The Platform Gallery and Visitor Information Centre to get a quiz sheet, and find the mini hidden gems posters in the windows of shops and buildings - a great family activity. All completed entries will go into a prize draw and no bookings are required.

The Road to Up-Brooks, Clitheroe:

An online presentation of this ancient thoroughfare by historian, John Lambert, takes you on an illustrated and virtual tour of one of Clitheroe's oldest thoroughfares and industrial areas. No booking required

Elijah and Frederick Cawthorne: Ribble Valley’s Hidden Landscape Artists:

Rachel Denyer, author of a book on these Clitheroe artists, curates an interactive virtual exhibition of works by Elijah and Frederick Cawthorne - the first collection of their work exhibited to date – to give us sight of many pre-photographic and hidden Ribblesdale landscapes.

Sunday, September 13th, 11am to 12pm

Exploring our local hidden natural heritage - an online celebration and discussion with families who have recently completed their John Muir Family Discovery Award across the Pendle Hill area and surrounding towns, with a focus on local natural and landscape heritage. Pre-booking required

Tuesday, September 15th, between 2pm and 3-30pm

Hidden nature of the River Ribble - an illustrated talk about the work of the Ribble Rivers Trust, highlighting projects undertaken to improve the Ribble catchment for wildlife and people.

Pre-booking required

Wednesday, September 16th, between 6-30 and 8pm - Travelling with the Romans - Lancashire’s Roman Roads:

David Ratledge, a former civil engineer, has been devoting his retirement to tracking down lost Roman roads which he describes in this live Zoom session. Pre-booking essential, numbers limited.

Sunday, September 20th, between 11am and 2pm - Guided Tour of Bellmanpark Estate, Clitheroe:

Andrew Collinson leads this tour of the Bellmanpark Estate, covering its agricultural, industrial and recreational history and including a visit to the site of one of the three scheduled monuments in the Clitheroe Parish - Bellmanpark Limekilns.

Pre-booking essential, numbers limited.