Come along to Runcorn’s Percival Lane Park on 21 May to help artists Neil Musson and Jono Retallick create a new Halton artwork.
As part of Halton Borough Council’s Borough of Culture celebrations, Musson + Retallick are working with the Celebrating Halton’s Heritage project to bring Halton’s historic trades back to life. The artists will set up a ‘rope walk’ in the exact location where rope for the shipping industry was made years ago.
Rope making was a popular trade in Runcorn and Widnes in the 1900s. In the late 1850s there were four ropemakers in Runcorn alone, many of which supplied rope to the booming shipbuilding industry locally.
The artists will make rope with help from local people, twisting hemp in the traditional way. Ropemaking will be combined with telling and recording stories linked to historic trades, joining the two together to make a unique artwork.
Families can join in with small scale rope making activities and themed storytelling from renowned performer Gav Cross.
Saturday 21 May, drop in any time 11am – 4pm, Percival Lane Park, Runcorn, WA7 4UY.
The artwork will be part of a new exhibition at Heritage HQ in St Marie’s Church, Widnes in June. The Ropewalk exhibition opens on Sunday 12 June.
To find out more go to the Heritage HQ website www.heritagehq.org or contact haltonheritagehq@gmail.com
The Celebrating Halton’s Heritage project is based at Heritage HQ – a central hub for heritage activity at St Marie’s on Lugsdale Road. Heritage HQ is hosting exhibitions, workshops and talks throughout the year until September, all on the theme of Halton’s trades through the centuries. The project is funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund as part of Halton’s Borough of Culture celebrations.