Heritage & culture
10 year vision
We will protect and celebrate the town’s heritage and cultural infrastructure to showcase Crewe, providing exciting opportunities for arts, events and enterprise.
Why is this a priority?
Heritage is about the place, its people, traditions, skills and beliefs, architecture and green spaces. Culture includes things that have the power to inspire us and bring us together. That might be music, painting, photography, podcasting, theatre, hip-hop, ballet, comedy, food, film, gaming, pantomime, coding, rapping, reading or performance poetry.
It is what makes us, while we are busy making everything else! But it also offers so much more…
Our heritage, arts and creative sectors have huge potential to grow the local economy and attract visitors. They can provide opportunities to all ages to take part, build confidence, learn skills and find employment.
Crewe’s 10 Year Cultural Strategy
Heritage Strategy for Crewe
Crewe Lyceum Theatre is Cheshire’s landmark Edwardian theatre and a valued asset. It offers a wide range of shows alongside supporting young people and community groups through the creative learning programme. Operated by Trafalgar Entertainment, Lyceum Theatre is at the heart of the civic and cultural quarter, and has a central part to play in Crewe Town Board’s investment plan, with Ly2 literally on its doorstep.
The development of Crewe’s heritage and creative sector is backed by an active and inclusive Cultural Forum and Heritage Group. The forum led a successful bid with partners for £0.75 million Accelerated Funding to invest in the new high-quality outdoor events space Ly2 at Lyceum Square.
Crewe Heritage Centre, situated on the grounds of the original Crewe Locomotive Works, opened in 1987 marking the 150th anniversary of the first train’s arrival at Crewe railway station in 1837. The heritage trust continues to preserve and showcase the rich heritage of the locomotive works and deliver engaging events.
A new history centre in Crewe will open in 2026, located next to Memorial Square, offering access to Cheshire’s Archives. ‘Cheshire’s archives: a story shared’ will bring the collections closer to people helping to celebrate personal and communities’ histories. The history centre will help the town to celebrate its heritage and support ongoing regeneration.
A recent addition to the creative landscape is CreweCreates CIC, set up to embrace Crewe’s creative past, present and future, and the wealth of talent in the region. Crewe//Makes ArtSpace is based in Victoria Street and local people with an idea for a creative business, a performance that needs a stage, art that needs a gallery or an art project that needs advice, are encouraged to get in touch.
The project received funding from the UK Government, Arts Council England, Cheshire East Council and Crewe Town Council, as part of a Place Partnership project. The consortium that supports it includes:
- Cheshire Archives and Local Studies
- Cheshire College South & West
- Cheshire East Council
- Crewe Business Improvement District
- Crewe Engineering and Design University Technical College
- Crewe Library
- Crewe Lyceum Theatre
- Crewe Town Board
- Crewe Town Council
- Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust & Arts Charity
- South Cheshire Chamber of Commerce and Industry
“Our heritage, arts and creative sectors have huge potential to grow the local economy and attract visitors. They can provide opportunities to all ages to take part, build confidence, learn skills and find employment”