Merseyside charity Autism Together offers the chance to explore listed buildings on the Wirral

Merseyside charity Autism Together is facilitating guided and self-guided tours of Bromborough Pool Village as part of Heritage Open Days 2025.

Each September, Heritage Open Days allows the chance for people across the UK to experience history, architecture and culture in their local area – completely free of charge.

On Saturday September 13th and 20th, Autism Together will be offering guided and self-guided tours of Bromborough Pool Village, opening up to visitors some of the fascinating listed buildings the organisation owns.

Bromborough Pool is a model village, completed in 1858 and built for the workers of Price’s Patent Candle Company. It pre-dates nearby Port Sunlight Village.

Tours start and finish at the Bromborough Pool Café & Shop (3-4 The Green, Bromborough Pool, Wirral, CH62 4TT), which also offers an adjacent car park.

The tours take in a range of historical locations within the village, including the site of Price’s Candle Factory, the Old Court House, The Green, and the former Price’s Social Club – although these parts of the tour will be restricted to external views only.

The buildings that can be entered include the Victorian-era former school house, the former St Matthew’s Church, and the central hall section of Giles Shirley Hall (which housed the village’s original school) – which all host Autism Together’s day services during the week.

In 2023, these Grade-II listed buildings were gifted to Autism Together by Riverside Housing, and the charity has since created a sympathetic plan of redevelopment for them.

In order to help fund these vital improvements to the buildings, Autism Together has launched a new Heritage Lottery.

Chris Cullen, Autism Together’s Director of Estates and Facilities, said:

“We are very pleased to be part of this year’s Heritage Open Days celebrations and to invite the public inside some of the wonderful historic buildings we own and look after.

“This year we are also asking the public for their help to support the ongoing maintenance and development of these historic buildings, by playing our new Bromborough Pool Village Heritage Lottery.

“It’s a weekly lottery, costing £1 to enter, with 50p of every ticket going to help preserve the story of this historic village. There are also a range of weekly prizes available, with the chance to win up to £25,000.

“Everyone who joins our weekly lottery, will be supporting the Bromborough Pool Village Heritage Project, helping us uncover and share the rich history, architecture, and community spirit of this remarkable place.”

During the Heritage Open Days, Bromborough Pool Café & Shop will be open to the public, where tour leaflets can be collected at the start of guided or self-guided tours, and food and drinks will be available to buy.

In order to ensure safe numbers of visitors accessing these heritage buildings, there will be no more than 20 people per tour.

For more information about the Heritage Tours, call Bromborough Pool Café & Shop on 0151 643 1359 or email: Mike.Christiansen@autismtogether.co.uk.

\You can support Autism Together’s new Heritage Lottery here.

Find out more about Autism Together, their staff, and services at the charity’s website and Facebook page.