South Ribble Museum & Exhibition Centre

The Leyland Free Grammar School was established by Henry ffarington in 1524, and the present building was probably erected on this site about 1580. Although extended a century later most of the structure has been changed very little. The building is a three-bay oak framed structure in typical sixteenth century local style, located in the NE corner of the Leyland Parish Church grounds.

In the 1790s a small but typical 'handloom weaver's house' was added to accomodate the school master and his wife. Among the many locals educated here were Richard Jackson (alias Dr Kuerden one of the fathers of the History of Lancashire) and the RC martyr John Woodcock. The school survived here until 1874, when a local industrialist safeguarded it for the use of the local community.

After various church-based uses it was acquired by South Ribble Borough Council in 1978, restored, and opened as the Borough's Museum & Exhibition Centre. The school room is used for art exhibitions and Saturday events of all kinds (Origami to Clocks!) and the unchanged upper rooms house our small but interesting museum collection. The Centre is staffed by our army of over 60 volunteer attendants, and we are at the heart of the local community - as the school has thus been for nearly five hundred years.
See D.Hunt (1990) A History of Leyland & District

Additional info

We are a small timber-framed largely Tudor building. Our main floors are all on different levels and the upper floor is approached by a steep staircase. Direct wheelchair access is thus restricted to the entrance room. Notwithstanding our best efforts, progress beyond this area is not accessible for wheelchairs.

To offset this difficulty, a film is shown on continuous loop describing the areas of the building which are not accessible. Specific items can usually be made accessible for viewing.

Includes finds from E.E.Pickering's 1946-58 excavations on the Roman supply base at Walton-le-Dale. Small economic and socisl history collections reflect the South Ribble district's economic development (textiles/cloth bleaching etc). Large photograph collection pertaining to the Leyland area. Well balanced, but very small, town museum collection, but this means that most items can readily be viewed given reasonable notice.

Collection details

Archaeology, Industry, Social History

Key artists and exhibits

• Broadfield Bleach Works sample books
• Walton-le-Dale Roman finds
• Kathleen Ferrier memorial Civic Address
• Leyland photograph collection
• Local geological collection