As places go, the town of Crewe, in the south of Cheshire, near the counties of Staffordshire and Shropshire, is probably best known for its links to the railways. It owes its growth to the development of the industry in the area and, in the past, thousands were employed at the Crewe Works, making the locomotives which criss-crossed the nation. But now those in the town are hoping to highlight their culture as they throw their hat in the ring to become the UK’s first town of culture. One of Crewe’s key cultural sites is the Lyceum Theatre, which dates back to 1911.
Recent regeneration projects in the town have also led to the creation of a public square outside the theatre, which can accommodate events. Graham McKnight, theatre director of the Lyceum, is also the chair of the town’s cultural consortium. He says Crewe is in “such a good place” to deliver a year-long cultural programme. “I think a really strong part of our bid is saying that this was a railway town built by the railway for the railway,” he told me. “We want to deliver a cultural year in 2028 that was built by the people for the people, echoing that historical background.”
The move was also about “changing the perspective” of what culture is, he added. “It’s showcasing that culture is what we’ve got to offer – be that sport or football or art galleries or theatres or community events or the places people live. It’s about taking culture far and wide and I hope we’d deliver something that encompasses the town and the community that lives in it.”
Novae Baghurst, from arts organisation Crewe Creates, which is also involved with the bid, said the town had a “brilliantly strong position.” “It’s got a cultural consortium that for the last 10 years has been built up and we’re a product of that,” she said. She added that Crewe was an “innovator.” “We weren’t the first rail town, but we made it for families. Give us something and let us do something with it and we’ll do something amazingly, truly Crewe and it’ll be good for the people. It’ll have that impact and it wouldn’t just be for the year, we look at something that will sustainably make a difference.”
The competition is not just about prestige – there is money on offer. There will be winners from the small, medium and large-sized town categories, with an overall winner to be selected for the £3m prize to celebrate their area’s culture. Crewe is also not the only place in Cheshire bidding to be town of culture – with Congleton, Knutsford, Lymm, and Macclesfield also putting themselves forward. Across the north-west, they are up against places such as Blackburn, Blackpool, and Morecambe in Lancashire; Bootle, Birkenhead and Prescot in the Liverpool city region and Bury, Leigh, and Stockport in Greater Manchester. For Congleton, they want to bring the town together with their bid.
Peter Ashton, chair of the Congleton Partnership, said he believed the area had a “great story to tell.” Congleton is mentioned in the Domesday Book, has held a market charter for more than 750 years, and is nicknamed Beartown, because of a story of the town selling its Bible in the 17th Century to buy a new town bear. He told BBC Radio Stoke that the town would build on an arts trail from 2012 named Bearmania if it won the bid and would also like to build a cultural centre. “The important thing from our point of view is the depth and the breadth of the things we can do in the town,” he said.
Knutsford is known for its links to one of the great Victorian novelists. Elizabeth Gaskell based her novel Cranford on the town and a tower dedicated to the author stands proudly on one of the main roads. Bryan Hartley, mayor of Knutsford, said the town wanted to share its volunteering spirit and various events “with a much wider audience.” “Culture isn’t just about the buildings and museums and art galleries – culture’s about the people and the town,” he said. “Of course, we have Elizabeth Gaskell and Cranford, but we also have Knutsford Royal May Day, we have Tatton Park, we live in culture in Knutsford.”
Thomas Broadhead, from Macclesfield Culture Collective, is leading his town’s bid. “Macclesfield is going for town of culture because our national story boils down to a 2004 news article in which we were labeled ‘Least Cultured’ place in Britain. Either that isn’t true or, if it is, we need some help to fix it,” he said. He added that culture in the town was “self-organizing” with projects and events led by “small businesses, venues, organizations and creatives.” “Our home is changing, with exciting direction through creative entrepreneurship, music, and outdoor sports in the nearby hills,” Broadhead said. “The process of applying for town of culture for us works side by side with drawing up a contemporary, authentic cultural strategy for the town that genuinely engages young people.” But with more than 20 areas in the north-west bidding and many more across the country, the competition will be fierce.
McKnight said that competition was a good thing. “The fact we’ve got so much competition in the north-west is a testament to the appetite for a cultural town in the north-west,” he said. “It’s a fantastic opportunity for any town and in my view, every town should be bidding for it.” Areas have until 31 March to submit an expression of interest, with the shortlisted towns set to be announced in the spring.
