Students from Warrington & Vale Royal College create imaginative exhibition at Cheshire’s Lion Salt Works Museum

A new exhibition by HND Fine and Applied Arts students at Warrington & Vale Royal College (Winsford) will open on 2 December at the multi award-winning Lion Salt Works Museum in Northwich and will run until 11 January 2021.

Seven local HND Applied Arts students explore ‘salt’ as part of the Lion Salt Works Museum’s Autumn Season on ‘Salt & Food’. Normal museum admission charges apply*. For more information, visit www.westcheshiremuseums.co.uk or call the museum on 01606 275066.  

From 2 December, the Museum will be open on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and every Saturday. In the run up to Christmas, the Museum will also be open on Sunday 13 and 20 December.

Inspired by the Lion Salt Works Museum and salt’s legacy on the people, industry and landscape of Cheshire, this imaginative exhibition is the culmination of months of extensive research and design, using different artistic processes. The display includes ceramics, glass, mixed media works and paintings. 

Chris Malins, Ceramics and Glass Lecturer, Warrington and Vale Royal College (Winsford) said: “The students have taken inspiration for this exhibition from a variety of sources, including landscape, the daily lives of salt-workers, geology and the industrial buildings at the Lion Salt Works Museum. Our students have worked hard on their designs, which has involved them mastering different techniques, including mould-making, hand-building, firing, glazing and fusing glass. They have really embraced the topic and their work gives new insights about salt in an imaginative and professional interpretation.”  

Ceri Porter-Jones from Wettenhall, was inspired by the geology of the area. Using layering techniques exploring the properties and behaviour of a range of stoneware clays. She produced a selection of inter-linking bowls with detailed application of oxides and stains to produce striking and beautiful representations of the geological layers beneath the Cheshire Plain. Ceri used the formation of salt crystals as inspiration for the small set of bowls.   

She said: “Cheshire is one of the few places in the country with deep layers of salt and it is amazing to think that for centuries this resource has been so key to the area. Geology is the starting point for all of this and it inspired me to base my work on it.”  

Eileen Bass from Grappenhall, said: “My work is mixed media and I have taken inspiration from the flashes, regenerated former industrial wastelands, orchids and the stark beauty of nearby birch trees. 

“My work is made up of five glass panels portraying the regeneration of the industrial land of the salt mines that form the backdrop to representations of salt crystals that I will display on specially-made clay bowls. I have really enjoyed researching the history of salt and seeing its impact on the landscape.” 

Councillor Louise Gittins, Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Wellbeing, said: “I am delighted that the Lion Salt Works Museum will be exhibiting this art exhibition. These fresh interpretations on salt by these talented students are fascinating and impactful and I hope as many people as possible come and enjoy this exhibition at the Lion Salt Works Museum.” 

The students exhibiting at the exhibition are Sam Dawkins from Northwich, Eileen Bass from Grappenhall, Angel Smith from Northwich, Ariane Baguley from Moulton, Ceri Porter-Jones from Whettenhall, Robyn Bailey from Northwich and Gary Wood from Nantwich. 

The majority of students exhibiting at the Lion Salt Works Museum are at the beginning of their first year on a HND Fine and Applied Arts course at Warrington and Vale Royal College in Winsford. 

The Lion Salt Works Museum tells the story of salt through interactive displays, including a sound and light show, automaton and ‘subsiding house’. It has won nine prestigious awards since re-opening after a four-year £10m restoration in June 2015. 

Planning a Visit:

The museum is currently closed under national lockdown restriction guidelines and will re-open on 2 December.  From 2 December, the Museum will be open on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and every Saturday. In the run up to Christmas, the Museum will also be open on Sunday 13 and 20 December.  

To ensure the safety of staff and visitors, the Lion Salt Works Museums has introduced revised opening times and pre-booking. To guarantee admission, places must be booked in advance. To pre-book a visit, contact the Museum on 01606 275066. Opening times and booking procedures may change at short notice, please check this website before planning a visit. 

Pictured - (L-R) Chris Malins and Ben Brady, lecturers at Warrington Vale Royal College (Winsford) with some of their students' salt-inspired work.