Solway Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

A Shared Responsibility for a Very Special Place

Situated in the coastal town of Silloth-on-Solway

History of the Discovery Centre

The idea of a Solway Coast Discovery Centre (SCDC) was born following the publication of the first Management Plan for the Solway Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in 1998.

Within the document it was recognised that the area, which was little known, needed a flagship/gateway site to reveal many of the hidden secrets that the landscape of the Solway Coast has to offer both visitors and locals. The project was completed in three phases.

Identifying the building

The first problem was to identify an existing building that could house such a scheme and, more importantly, do it in a sustainable way. The sustainable criteria used were that it should not damage the beauty of the area, it should not create visitor pressure within the area and that it should use an existing building.

After looking at farm buildings, derelict large houses and other similar buildings, the old St Paul's School in Silloth-on-Solway was brought to the attention of Solway Rural Initiative (SRI) by the Save St Paul's Group, a group of individuals who did not want to see part of their heritage disappear. St Paul's School was the first public building in Silloth and had been around since 1857. The building had been condemned and was due for demolition; it was at this point that the SRI Solway Coast AONB Department went into action.

Design and refurbishment

The building had lost part of its roof, the walls were bowing outward, the windows were rotten and the whole building needed a full refurbishment. An architect was secured and a bill of works was presented to the Department as a standard set of works to make the building weatherproof. It was at this point that the decision was taken to create the most energy efficient public building in Cumbria. At the same time other pieces of homework were done, including a survey of other public buildings used as visitor attractions and especially those that had gone bust. We soon realised that the main factor in running an enterprise of this sort successfully is lowering your overheads and more importantly fuel bills. It was decided that thermal insulation in walls, roof and floor were important, as well as windows and doors. We looked at a wood-chip boiler but found that it was impossible to source local fuel, so we decided to go for a condensing gas boiler, which is the least polluting and most efficient gas-fuelled installation for heating.

We also went for under-floor heating which is also very efficient.

Finally, we built a glass atrium as the main doorway - this acts as a solar collector and heats the building passively. All lighting is low voltage and the toilets minimise water use.

The building was fully restored and handed over in April, 2002, at a cost of approximately £400,000. This ended Phase 2 of the project.

The old headmaster's house, which is attached to the school, was also refurbished to the same high standard, except this project was initiated and completed using 18-24 year-olds on a New Deal Scheme called Environmental Task Force (ETF) run by the Employment Service. This scheme trained 33 young individuals from rural areas in basic building techniques and, more importantly, provided them with real work and skills. The offices were completed at the same time as the SCDC and now house the Solway Coast AONB Management Unit.

Completion

Having secured funding for the building refurbishment, we then set about funding the exhibition, retail area, café, tourist information point and a film about the Solway.

The cafe uses local farm-produced food and also offers coffee and tea. The retail area is run as a partnership with Made in Cumbria and the film was made for us by Cumbria College of Art and Design. Temporary exhibitions are planned for the summer and a bespoke cinema is also planned.

The ultimate goal, however, was to showcase the many assets of the Solway Coast AONB, and the exhibition, we hope, provides a fascinating tour of one of our most beautiful Cumbrian landscapes with reference to its heritage, both natural and cultural, its people, both living and gone, but most of all it celebrates the hand of man and especially farming in the evolution of one of the most beautiful places in England. The exhibition then links the visitor to the 26 free leaflets and guidebooks we have produced. These cover circular walks, places of interest and larger areas where the wealth of wildlife and habitats are explained.

The visitor is guided through the exhibition covering 10,000 years of Solway history buy Auld Michael, a monk who once lived at Holm Cultram Abbey, and his sidekick Oyk, the Oystercatcher with attitude. The characters have an on-going narrative as they move from Ice Ages to Romans through modern farming and tell us about the wealth of wildlife and rich cultural history of the area. The exhibition appeals to both old and young and is designed both as entertaining and educational. The SCDC will also be used as an education resource covering eight curriculum subjects and will be part of an emerging schools pack and resource.

Because the Solway Rural Initiative is a not for profit organisation, any profits from the SCDC are put back into the sustainable management of the Solway Coast area. In this case the visitor pays, but does so in a very constructive way, unlike schemes that charge for coastal car parking, for example, where the visitor does not receive any messages about the fragility of the area they are visiting.

The funders of the project are:

European Regional Development Fund
Heritage Lottery Fund
North West Development Agency
Allerdale Borough Council
Silloth Town Council
Cumbria County Council
British Nuclear Fuels
The Countryside Agency
West Cumbria Tourism Initiative
Solway Rural Initiative Limited
The Hadfield Trust
Cumbria Waste Management Environment Trust
Esmee Fairbairn Charitable Trust

The Solway Coast Discovery Centre was opened in August 2002, by SRI Chairman Ian Fleming and local Councillor Margaret Snaith, following the final implementation phase consisting of the permanent exhibition, provision of a café and a retail shop.

The Discovery Centre is the first all-weather attraction and a showcase for the Solway Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The opening of the centre was a proud moment; it is a credit to all concerned and demonstrates the possibilities of working in partnership with local people, agencies and organisations.