Cheshire's Lion Salt Works Museum in Northwich offers free entry to adults who buy a lottery ticket

The award-winning Lion Salt Works Museum, in Northwich, is offering free entry to National Lottery players on 5 June and 8 to 12 June providing visitors present a National Lottery or scratchcard.

For every free adult, accompanying children under 16 years old are also allowed in free of charge. Parking is free but due to social distancing*, booking is required by calling 01606 275066.  

The Museum, a Scheduled Ancient Monument, with the same protection status as Stonehenge, was restored with a £5.2 million grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund as well as monies from Cheshire West and Chester Council. The overall cost of restoration was £10.23m and the museum reopened in June 2015 after a four-year restoration. The multi award-winning Museum continues to tell the story of salt through fun, interactive displays, a dramatic ‘sound and light’ show and automaton.  

As well as enjoying the café, play area and butterfly garden, visitors to the Museum will also have the chance to admire the restored ‘Nodding Donkey’, which used to pump brine from beneath the Cheshire Plain before being boiled in open-pans to leave salt crystals. In addition, a new exhibition ‘Drawn from the Weaver’ has just opened. This exhibition features photos by artist, Pauline Leaver, who was inspired by the patterns and reflections of the River Weaver. 

The museum is one of hundreds of National Lottery-funded visitor attractions across the UK saying ‘thanks’ to people who have raised money for good causes by buying a lottery ticket. 

Leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council, Councillor, Louise Gittins, said: “Thanks to the money from National Lottery players the Council was able to secure the future of the Lion Salt Works Museum. It is one of the only open pan salt-making sites in the world and an important part of Cheshire’s heritage. We continue to be enormously grateful to the Heritage Lottery for being a part of the team that saved this important site. We hope as many people as possible come and enjoy looking around our multi award-winning museum”. 

Pictured - Lion Salt Works Museum’s ‘sound and light’ show.