A vintage bus and church tours are among the new exhibits at this year’s Salford Histories Festival.

Organisers say the annual festival, which has not taken place since 2019 due to Covid-19 will also feature stalls, tours and a heritage walk.

Photo by: Salford Local History Forum

There will also be five talks from local historians, including subjects such as the history of Swinton, Locomotives and Hugh Stowell.

Paul Hassall, secretary for the Eccles and District History Society explained some of the events taking place throughout the day.

“We are delighted that this year we are getting a vintage bus from Greater Manchester Transportation Museum. They will be giving out (free) bus rides on the day”

The vintage bus will be located at the Council Car Park and will depart tours from the St Peters School on Vicarage Road.

Organisers, the Salford Local History Forum will stage the event on 30th October at Fletcher Hall and St Peter’s Church between 10am and 4pm.

Some of the features that will be at the festivities will also include the introduction of a family history stall, and the return of the beloved Mobile Exhibition of Memorabilia.

Salford Histories Festival poster

The Salford Histories Festival has been an ongoing event for years, it started out at the Salford Museum before it ended for a few years due to budget cuts. Mr Hassall detailed:

“For a number of years there was a local history fair at Salford Museum on the Crescent. Because of budget cuts, they had to stop it and, off his own back, Paul Kelly, from Irwell Valley Mining Project decided to get it up and running again”.

Over the years, the festival has increased in popularity becoming an event looked forward to by many of the Salford community.

“It’s got to a stage where it’s the biggest we’ve ever had it”.

The festival is being held on historical grounds, the Fletcher Hall, Swinton was once known as being the site for bull baiting. The event had been organised solely by the Salford Community, historians who are all volunteers.

“It’s organised, not by the council but by Salford Local History Forum, which is local history groups and interested individuals who get together and organise events.”

Entry will be free and there will be a stall to buy refreshments and souvenirs from. To find out more about the event head over to the Salford Local History Forum website.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *