History exhibition to show off Victorian Westbury

A SPECIAL history project will be starting at The Laverton this month, looking into Westbury’s past as a Victorian working town.

A free exhibition, ‘Victorian Westbury – a tale of industry, enterprise, philanthropy and political ambition’, will open to the public at The Laverton on Friday the 27th January at 1pm.

Westbury Town Council’s Lilly Bale is leading the project. The exhibition will be open  during town council working hours from Monday to Friday and will last throughout the year.

Lilly says, “The Laverton Institute Trust works in raising awareness and interest in the town’s social, economic and architectural heritage during the Victorian period.

“We want to build up a view of the town and local community during this period of significant growth and change and help people understand Westbury’s rich heritage.

“The exhibition  will include interpretative display boards, apps for smart phones and devices and promotional and activity leaflets. Later in the year we will be hosting heritage events like the Blue Plaque Trail walking tour.”

The Laverton is named after Abraham Laverton, MP for Westbury in the 1870s, who owned the Angel Mill cloth mill and built Prospect Square to house his employees.

The exhibition and other events tell the story of Victorian Westbury and Abraham Laverton, and have been organised with the help of a £9,500 ‘Sharing Heritage’ grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Lilly added, “We are interested in engaging with Westbury schools, Westbury Library, the heritage society, youth groups and  interested volunteers for  guided visits to The Laverton exhibition and the rest of the Blue Plaque Trail buildings.”

For more information contact the town council on 01373 822232.