Heritage Skills Experience Day at Preston Flag Market

The Harris, in partnership with Conlon Construction, have created a Heritage Skills Experience Day, taking place on Thursday, August 31, from 9:00am until 1:00pm at Preston’s Flag Market.

This unique event offers a captivating opportunity for the public to engage and explore traditional craftsmanship in a hands-on and immersive environment.

The Heritage Skills Experience Day will feature organisations dedicated to preserving and promoting traditional heritage skills needed to protect our historical built environment; skillsets which are abundant during the Harris Your Place project and refurbishment of the Grade I Listed building. Each organisation will showcase heritage crafts through interactive demonstrations and activities, allowing visitors to witness the restoration processes firsthand and try their hand at selected tasks.

Preston Vocational Centre will offer an experience where the public can dismantle and re-fix a sash window, getting a hands-on taste of the meticulous process involved in window restoration. Preston Vocational Centre will also be available for advice sessions about kick-starting a heritage skills career, specifically in construction.

Councillor Peter Kelly, Cabinet member for culture and leisure services at Preston City Council said: “We are thrilled to host the Heritage Skills Experience Day at Preston’s Flag Market providing a unique platform for the public to appreciate and engage with traditional craftsmanship. This event not only allows visitors to witness heritage skills in action but also empowers them to participate and gain firsthand experience under the guidance of skilled practitioners. It is a celebration of our rich cultural heritage and a reminder of the importance of preserving and passing on these invaluable skills.”

Admission to the event is free, and all members of the public are welcome to attend and explore the world of traditional craftsmanship.

Harris Your Place

Harris Your Place is a £16 million project set to restore and reimagine the Harris for 21st-century audiences as a cultural learning space. The aim of this project is to protect the building and the architecture for future generations whilst enhancing accessibility options and positioning the Harris as a community hub for Preston and Lancashire.

The capital project is more than simply preserving this much-loved building; Harris wants to ensure that it remains a vibrant heart of the community. A place where people want to spend their time.