A TOWN’S links to moorland, coast, and countries across the sea will be celebrated as part of national Heritage Open Days.
Liskeard Unlocked takes its theme this year as ‘Routes, Networks and Connections’.
During the event from September 6 to 15 there will be guided walks, talks, and exhibitions, and as ever, the chance to glimpse behind doors normally closed to public view.
The festival of history and culture is taking place in towns and cities across the country – and Liskeard will be celebrating its links to the moorland mines, the routes to Looe, and its recent twinning agreement with Kopychyntsi in Ukraine.
Activities and events on the programme are all free of charge.
Highlights of Liskeard Unlocked for 2024 include “A taste of Ukraine – Connecting with Kopychyntsi”, an event where Cornish and Ukrainian food, music and dance will be shared, with a live link to our new twin town.
There’ll be the chance to see local artists’ work in a one-off Market Makers Open Studio, and to walk in the footsteps of the miners who hiked out from Liskeard each day for their work in the Caradon copper mines.
The Liskeard and District Museum will stage a brand new exhibition on the wells of the town and its surrounding villages, and there’ll be an accessible ramble on a nature-rich part of the Smugglers Way between Liskeard and Looe.
Buildings offering a peek behind their doors will include Westbourne House, St Martin’s Church, Our Lady of St Neot Catholic Church, and the Liskeard Radio Studio, with the chance to take part in live broadcasting and video streaming and see the tech behind the shows.
Local historian Brian Oldham will be giving two talks – one on the stories of those who emigrated from Liskeard to far-flung places across the globe, the other on the changes in the town with the arrival of the mainline railway in 1859 and the new houses that sprang up in Station Road.
People of all ages will have the chance to discover some of Liskeard’s features in an interactive exhibition at Stuart House,and find out about plans to make the town’s historic Guildhall more accessible.
The programme also includes the ancient ceremony of Crying the Neck, this year held under the Market Canopy, and a local produce market with a Ukrainian flavour at the Cattle Market site.
In the weeks running up to Liskeard Unlocked, groups at the Liskerrett Centre have been meeting via video with new friends in Ukraine and learning how to make traditional Motanka dolls. Look out for some of the artwork created during this community project in the bus shelters around town.
To see the full programme for Liskeard Unlocked visit https://www.visitliskeard.co.uk/view-event/liskeard-unlocked-heritage-open-days-8
