The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and Big Lottery Fund (BIG) agreed a grant of £1.75m to Avenham and Miller Parks. This tops up the £2.7m granted in 2005. Also the Lancashire Museum in Stanley Street has been allocated £0.9m from the lottery and £0.8m from Lancashire County Council.
In the parks, the original design by landscape designer Edward Milner will be restored including newer additions such as the Japanese Gardens. The 2005 grant built the modern pavilion in Avenham and restored it’s buildings. Both of these parks are in fine settings sloping steeply down to the River Ribble and overlooked by period buildings. With only the 1960’s boxlike addition blotting the landscape over Miller Park. Will this building ever become fashionable?
This work coupled with the Georgian buildings of Winckley Square and the planned refurbishment of the square itself, the old but attractive terrace housing, including the listed buildings near the park, Avenham Walk promenade and the Harris Institute will make the area from the river to the main shopping street, Fishergate, a characterful and attractive area to walk. Although if I was to comment the cars and vans parked and skips that always seem to be in Winckley Street spoil its appearance. Although it’s a short street it could be a smart entrance to the square and parks.
The lottery is funding parks all over England in it’s Parks for People programme which has allocated £150m and is continuing at £20m a year. As a condition of the funding the parks have to achieve Green Flag status every year which means they are to be maintained to a high standard. Preston must have got it’s share of lottery funding as Burnley and Wigan are on a list of places that havn’t had their fair share.
In the Lancashire Museum the funding will renovate the building and create new interactive galleries and the ability to display items previously stored as well as a cafe and shop. The museum will therefore be closed all 2010 which is a shame. I’ve often thought more could be made of this museum as it has some interesting displays but appears a bit ignored and isolated. It has good car-parking but the entrance fee doesn’t help. With it’s location next to the prison it would be appropriate to have a prison history display. How about that?