Year of events to mark ‘Nat’ milestone
AYEAR of events is planned to mark the 140th anniversary of Bacup Natural History Society and the centenary of Bacup Peace Procession.
The museum, known as ‘The Nat’, started life in 1878 in a terraced cottage on Rochdale Road near to Bacup Baths, now the Maden Centre.
Bacup Nat secretary Wendy Watters said: “Although it was originally a naturalist club, when a visitor to the town asked a resident where it was, he was told, ‘ You mean the Muck and Flea Club,’ as that was what people used to call it.”
The Nat relocated into the former Hare and Hounds Public House on Yorkshire Street in 1947, initially renting before buying it in 1951.
A further Heritage Lottery Fund Sharing Grant of £10,000 has been secured for a project called ‘The Muck and Flea Club’, and four events will be held.
The first is on Sunday, September 30 with an animal experience day from 1.30pm to 4pm with snakes, reptiles and creepy crawlies.
Wendy said: “We will be telling the story of The Nat and remembering those members who went to serve in the First World War, and those who didn’t return.
“We have found a roll of honour and put it back on display we hope to have restored. We will be creating a timeline of The Nat, both our history and that of Bacup.
“In the New Year we will have workshops including a fossil day, making bug houses, a bug day and a guest speaker.”
On Easter Saturday, The Nat will be installing a commemorative bench along with a soldier silhouette in Newgate Garden, the Wall of History, adjacent to the museum.
The final event will be in collaboration with Bacup and Stacksteads Carnival to celebrate the centenary of the 1919 Peace Procession, a forerunner of the carnival.
Wendy said: “We have photographs and articles about the procession and the shop windows that were decorated.
“We know what the floats and carts that took part looked like and I will be contacting all the local schools and youth groups to recreate one of the parade entries from that first procession and encourage them to dececorates shop windows.”
Catherine Smyth, chairman of carnival organisers BASCO, said: “We are delighted to be working with The Nat who will be giving a contribution to parade entries from schools and youth groups following the theme.”