Heritage & culture

10 year vision

We will  protect and celebrate the town’s heritage infrastructure to showcase Crewe’s history, providing exciting new spaces and opportunities for enterprise, events and culture.

Why is this a priority?

Heritage is about the history of 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.

“You say the word ‘culture’, people don’t see the connection with what they are doing. If you talk about music, dance, hip hop, pantomime, they see the relevance to them.”
(Crewe Resident, Towns Fund Consultation)

It is what makes us, while we are busy making everything else! But it also offers so much more…

Our heritage, cultural 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.

“I’m born and raised in Crewe, I started dancing when I was 10 and now I’m at Uni doing it. I’m hoping people see the progression and how important the arts is. I’m hoping I can use my journey to help other people – I want to show that with a good work ethic and hard work that it can pay off. I want kids and parents to see that it gives them great opportunities.”
(Crewe Resident, Towns Fund Consultation)

Around 1,000 people work in creative industries in Crewe. A snapshot of some of those working locally  shows the diversity of talent in the town:

• Dope Male Performance Company
• Forest Tribe Dance Theatre
• Platform Theatre
• Squeaky Pedal
• Vision In Colour
• Dragonfly Design
• DD Music Group
• The Cat 107.9FM
• James Fox Illustration
• Visual artist David Jewkes
• Poet-rapper Jamie Lynch.

Crewe Lyceum is Cheshire’s landmark Edwardian theatre and a valued asset for Crewe. Operated by HQ Theatres & Hospitality Ltd, the Lyceum is at the heart of our ambitions to develop our Civic and Cultural Quarter, and it has a central part to play in our investment plan. It achieved attendance of 103,000 in 2018-19. Events including LUMEN, trAction and WaveField represent the largest of the town’s festival and events programme, and there is growing participation in arts and cultural activities by Crewe’s communities.

The development of Crewe’s heritage, creative and cultural sectors 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 new high quality outdoor events space in Lyceum Square, a vital part of our objectives for Crewe’s Civic and Cultural Quarter.
Read Crewe’s 10 Year Cultural Strategy (1.2mb PDF)

With plans to celebrate, protect and promote Crewe’s heritage, projects are being developed to find a new use for Christ Church and to work with local organisations to develop other opportunities.
Read the  Heritage Strategy for Crewe (3.1mb PDF)