Our Story - Shevington with Lower Ground The story of Shevington and District, which lies on the edge of Wigan by the M6 motorway, is told in a new hour and a half film researched and written by local resident John O'Neill, who used to be Deputy Leader of Wigan Council and who is the Chair of Wigan Borough Environment and Heritage Network. The District includes the distinct communities of Shevington, Shevington Moor, Shevington Vale/Appley Bridge, Crooke and Standish Lower Ground. Nowadays Shevington and District is a pleasant residential area surrounded by green fields, but the film looks beneath the surface to reveal its rural beginnings, and how it was transformed during the Industrial Revolution by the construction of the Leeds to Liverpool Canal and the exploitation of the area's rich coal reserves. The first half of the film tells the history of the five communities, lavishly illustrated with images from the collection of Wigan Archive Services. The second half of the film brings the story up to date, with a portrait of a year in the life of the local community, including Shevington Annual Fete, Remembrance Day, High School, Community Association, Parish Council, Crooke Village Residents Association, and a range of voluntary groups working in the community. 'Our Story - Shevington with Lower Ground' lasts 90 minutes and is fully subtitled. Cost: £10 inc post and packing - please contact us at info@traditionfilms.co.uk
			Our Heritage Howe Bridge village, Chowbent Chapel in Atherton, the Marsh Gymnasium in Leigh, St Wilfrid's Church in Standish, and the Abram Morris Dancers are just some of the stories featured in 'Our Heritage', a new DVD celebrating the history of Wigan Borough. The film tells the untold story of many of the historical buildings and traditions of the Wigan area, and highlights the efforts of grassroots groups and individual volunteers to preserve heritage in their own local area. Viewers get the chance to see inside places such as the bell tower at Standish, Astley Green Colliery Museum, the chapel at Birchley Hall and Howe Bridge school, as well as watching a traditional Walking Day around Poolstock Lane and the annual Morris Dance in Abram. The DVD has been produced by Tradition Films for the Wigan Borough Environment and Heritage Network, who are an umbrella organisation for all the local history and environmental groups in the Borough. 'Our Heritage' lasts 88 minutes, is fully subtitled, and contains ten sections: Astley Green Colliery Museum, Howe Bridge mining village, Chowbent Unitarian Chapel in Atherton, Abram Morris Dancers, Poolstock Walking Day, market square in Standish, Lowton memories, Stubshaw Cross Heritage Garden, Billinge manor houses and the Marsh Gymnasium in Leigh. Cost: £10 inc post and packing - please contact us at info@traditionfilms.co.uk
			Williamson Tunnels Virtual Tour The Williamson Tunnels under Edge Hill, Liverpool have been described as "the largest underground folly in Britain". Joseph Williamson made a fortune in the tobacco trade, before retiring in the early 1800s to Edge Hill and spending almost all his considerable fortune paying men to build an immense and intricate labyrinth in the soft sandstone hillside. According to historical writings, he built the tunnel system simply to give unemployed men "an honest day's work". Today access is restricted to 3 entry points - the Tunnels Heritage Centre based in the old Liverpool Corporation stableyard, the site of Williamson's House, and the Paddington site - and further progress is blocked by rubble and bricked-up arches. The Virtual Tour features all 3 of these sites plus the story of Williamson himself and the 'lost tunnels' - those tunnels still to be rediscovered and restored. To support The Friends of Williamson's Tunnels visit: www.williamsontunnels.com For more information about the Tunnels Heritage Centre visit: www.williamsontunnels.co.uk The DVD is narrated by the BBC's Roger Phillips and the late, great Vincent Burke. The DVD lasts 50 minutes and is fully subtitled. 'Williamson Tunnels Virtual Tour' has been produced by Tradition Films for the The Friends of Williamson's Tunnels, who are selling the DVD to raise funds to support their campaign to preserve and restore the tunnel network. Available to buy for £8 from The Friends of Williamson's Tunnels