Towneley from A to Z
Towneley from A to Z
"The Natural History Centre stands within the walls of the Towneleys' old kitchen garden. Its displays focus on the natural history of the area around Burnley. In the Aquarium the course of a river is followed from its source to the sea. Each section shows the different kinds of plants and animals found below the water, including life in a stream, a river and the open sea. 'Burnley - Gateway to the Moors' highlights the landscape of the South Pennines showing the variety of wildlife it attracts.
The Discovery Centre on the ground floor outlines the National History Centre's environmental work. Visitors can also see many of the rocks, minerals and insects in the museum's natural science collections here. Schools and community groups from all over Lancashire use the classroom.
A resource library providing schoolteachers with information on environmental education was greatly extended in March 1998 when it became the Eric Halsall Library. Eric Halsall was famous as presenter of the BBC TV programme "One Man and His Dog". After he died his widow donated his book collection to Towneley.
The Centre keeps weather records of temperature, rainfall, wind speed, wind direction, and humidity, which are available on request. Rainfall records in England first began at Towneley in the 17th century. The Centre also provides an identification service for identifying plants, animals and geology, using the museum's extensive reference collections.
The Natural History Centre is accredited as a centre of Environmental Excellence for Sustainable Energy and Nature Conservation as part of the Lancashire Environmental Action Programme."
At that time there were two members of the curatorial staff who specialised in natural history. It was closed in 2006 and was then used by Myerscough College as a training centre.