Learning

  • A boy in a red shirt looking at a display case with various fossils, likely at a museum.

    School Visits

    The Bacup Museum serves as a great local history resource for use in both primary and secondary schools.

    Bacup Museum visits can be tailored to cover a specific topic or just a general Yesterday’s Bacup visit. The museum collections cover many topics that will support your teaching from the three archaeological periods: Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age to life in Victorian Bacup, the mills and mines and to Bacup at War.

    School visits to the museum are charged at £40.00 per hour.

    We are happy to tailor our museum worksheets to any topic you require.

    To book a visit please fill out the form below

    Book A School Visit
  • Children at a museum or shop looking at display cases, with one child filling out a worksheet with a pencil.

    Uniformed Groups

    Bacup Museum is a fantastic venue for uniformed groups. It is particularly suitable for Rainbows, Beavers, Brownies, Cubs, Scouts, and Guides, especially those working towards local history-related badges.

    Book A Group Visit
  • A cartoon boy with purple hair, wearing a colorful tie-dye shirt and blue pants, sitting on a pile of multicolored puzzle pieces.

    SEND

    The Bacup Museum recognizes that visiting museums can be challenging for many autistic children, young people, and their families. If you are homeschooling a child with a sensory processing disorder, or simply feel that your home schooled child could benefit from a visit, we are now offering one-hour individual slots on Thursday afternoons. These slots include access to the museum, heritage boxes, table, microscopes and refreshments.
    If this is something that interests you please contact us on for more detail and price. email bacupnatural@gmail.com

    Book A SEND Visit
Young boy sitting on a red cushioned seat, wearing a red sweatshirt, drinking from a light blue cup, while holding a folded paper or pamphlet in his left hand. Behind him, there is a paper or poster on the wall celebrating 80 years.

Mrs Baron - Bacup Holy Trinity Stacksteads C.E. Primary School

Bacup Natural History Museum are passionate about History and educating children about the past, particularly local history.  Children from our school visit the museum to learn about Victorian life in the past and, more importantly, what it was like in their town.  They learn about working life and home life, using local buildings and relics from those buildings that are no longer standing.  Exhibits are ever-changing and children feel like they are stepping back in time, experiencing what life might have been like in the past if they'd lived 100+ years ago.  We value their knowledge and experience; their contribution to our Victorian topic is hugely valued by staff and pupils.   Their generous voluntary contribution makes it possible to bring real history to our pupils without leaving their home town.  For further enrichment, they select artefacts for loan boxes that children will find intriguing and we bring those objects back to the classroom for practical lessons and historical enquiry.  They make difficult topics easier for children to understand.  They deserve every recognition for the part they play in our history teaching.

Bring history to life with our fantastic heritage loan boxes. Each box contains authentic and replica objects linked to the national curriculum. The loan boxes are available for £20.00 per week.

Please note there is no charge for the South Pennines Park Roman and Viking Boxes. Please see below for more information.

Heritage Loan Boxes

A collection of assorted decorative objects including a black box with an embossed design, a white wooden box, a green ceramic container with a chain, a white animal figure, a yellow sponge, a black metal tool, two small coins, and two African masks.
Collection of naturally occurring and man-made objects on an orange background, including a branch, rocks, a piece of工具, a horn, and other small artifacts.

Ancient Greeks

Stone Age - Iron Age

An assortment of colorful traditional Mexican toys and games, including spinning tops, a diabolo, yo-yos, and a circular hand-held game, arranged on an orange surface with a decorative metal stand, a white box, and a cloth bag in the background.
Collection of historical documents, photographs, and memorabilia laid out on an orange surface.
A collection of vintage and military-related documents, photographs, and booklets spread out on an orange surface.
Mineral specimen collection with various rocks and fossils in plastic bags, educational booklets about minerals and fossils, and small display containers, all arranged on an orange surface.

WW2

Fossils and Flints

Fossils and Flints

Collection of vintage items including a black top hat, a small chalkboard, an old lantern, vintage newspaper pages, a comic book titled 'Maypole Sore', a set of keys, a pair of black shoes, a green glass ashtray, a vintage iron, coins, a paper fan, a hairbrush, and other miscellaneous objects on an orange surface.
Collection of small objects including a black cauldron, a wooden stamp, a green tube labeled "Fox and Geese," promotional cards featuring Elizabeth and Henry VIII, some dark red coins, a small glass jar with a dropper, a blue feather, a small container with it, and a wooden backgammon piece, all arranged on an orange surface with a white box in the background.

Victorian Days

Tudors

WW1

Victorian Toybox

A collection of sewing and crafting supplies on a wooden table. Includes a vintage iron, a spool of thread, a piece of fur, and a cotton stuffing. In the background, there's a small steampunk-style lamp and a metal box.

Cotton Mill

We have recently agreed to be the local distributor for the South Pennines Park heritage education packs, which are aimed at Key Stage 2 & 3.

Archaeologists have created packs with replica artefacts, information sheets, and a presentation for those interested in studying the Romans or Vikings in The South Pennines Park. For more details, please refer below. Is your class, group, or organisation studying or interested in the Romans or Vikings in The South Pennines Park?

Why not borrow a Free South Pennine Park heritage education pack? It's for students in Key Stage 2 and 3. These packs have replica artefacts from the South Pennines region. Archaeologists made them, and each pack includes artefacts, information sheets, and a presentation with facts.

Display of copper-bladed jewelry-making tools and accessories, including a die with a cow embossed, a wooden box, a tool with a looped tip, a pair of pliers, and a jar filled with bubble wrap, arranged on a white protective sheet.

Roman

Display of vintage equestrian riding tools including a dark brown riding crop, a gilded metal bridle bit, a wooden curry comb, a bundle of white horsehair, and four small white cloth pads, all arranged on white foam padding.

Viking

Bacup Historical Information Packs

Educational illustrated pages about coal and historical information, with cartoon characters and colorful drawings including a person in bed and a wheelbarrow of coal.

In addition to our heritage boxes, we also have several Bacup historical information packs. Packs include PowerPoint presentation and printable pdfs. In addition to our heritage boxes, we also offer several Bacup historical information packs. These packs include a PowerPoint presentation and printable PDFs. Packs are available for £5.00

If you are interested in purchasing one of our packs please email us.

  • Take a journey through Victorian Bacup. Contact us for more information on our Bacup Back to Back pack.

  • Why did the River Irwell become known as the hardest-worked river in the world? For more information on our Bacup Mills pack, or to purchase, please contact us for a copy.

  • The first Bacupian miners, were farmers who got the coal from the various outcrops situated on the valley hills. For more information on our Bacup Mines pack, or to purchase, please contact us for a copy.

  • Discover the many roles that Bacupian women played during WW2. For more information on Bacup Women at War, or to purchase, please contact us for a copy.

  • Discover how rationing affected every home. For more information on our Bacup Home Front pack, or to purchase, please contact us for a copy.

  • On the 5th of March 1944, the last air raid warning was sounded in Bacup. For more information on our Bacup Bombed pack or to purchase, please contact us for a copy.

  • Over 3,000 evacuees were billeted in Bacup during WW2. Contact us for more information on our We Have Been Evacuamed pack.

Email us