Sharing our Stories

The Exhibition

On Wednesday 8th July 2026, the project marked its completion with a free public exhibition launch at St Walburge’s Church, Weston Street, Preston.

From the archive, into the light

What months of work uncovered

After months of cataloguing and conservation, the most striking finds from St Walburge’s archive were finally brought together and shown to the public for the first time.

Photographs, letters, registers and architectural drawings told the story of the church and the generations of Preston people who made it their spiritual home. Many of these items had not been seen for decades.

The exhibition was shaped by the volunteers themselves, who chose the themes and objects that spoke to them most as they worked through the collection. It was their reading of the archive, and a warm invitation for everyone else to discover it too.

Smiling priest in a black cassock holding a chocolate Labrador in front of the St Walburge's welcome banner, with an inset of a congregation and bunting.

More than a display

It was a chance for the whole community to see, in person, what months of quiet work in the archive had actually uncovered.

Exhibition banners in the hall at St Walburge's, showing a timeline of the church's history and a display on plans and development over time.
A shared achievement
Marking the project's completion

The launch celebrated not only the completion of a major conservation project, but the partnership between the church, the community, academic institutions, heritage organisations and volunteers that made it possible.

Photos from the Launch

"Walburge's at War" exhibition banner with wartime letters, a group photograph of uniformed men and archive photographs.
Exhibition banners in the hall at St Walburge's, showing a timeline of the church's history and a display on plans and development over time.
"Talbot School Memories" exhibition banner with black-and-white school photographs and pupils' recollections.
Audience listening to a speaker at the Exhibition launch event, beside a screen reading "All Under One Roof" with partner and funder logos.
Glass display case of items on red satin in front of "Sharing our Stories" exhibition banners at St Walburge's.
A long table in the hall laid out with refreshments for the Exhibition launch event, including plates of sandwiches and pastries, cupcakes and cakes.
A gold monstrance on a display case holding a chalice, censer and other silver church items on red satin.
A ceremony at the front of the hall at St Walburge's, watched by a seated audience beneath Union Flag bunting.
Guests gathered on the lawn outside St Walburge's, as part of the Exhibition launch event.
Scaffolding around St Walburge's spire, with a newly restored pale stone pinnacle in the foreground.
The tall stone spire of St Walburge's Church rising above its dark slate roof against a pale blue sky, with overhead cables crossing the view.
Interior of St Walburge's Church, looking down the nave past rows of wooden pews towards the high altar and a tall stained glass window. Carved timber roof beams arch overhead, with small painted statues set along them.

Highlights of the event

From guided tours to a performance of Gregorian chant, the launch brought the whole community together to mark the project’s completion.

Visitors in hard hats and high-visibility vests gather for a tour of the restoration works at St Walburge's.
Church & Roof Tours

Visitors could join church tours, followed by guided scaffold and roof tours, a rare close-up look at parts of the building.

Ribbon cutting at the exhibition launch event
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

The roof works were marked with a ribbon cutting, followed by a second ceremony to formally open the exhibition itself.

The project coordinator speaks to an audience at the exhibition launch event, beside a screen reading "All Under One Roof" with partner and funder logos.
Project Presentations

The project team presented insights and discoveries from their work with everyone who came along to the event. 

Audience watching a documentary screening at the Exhibition launch event, with a frame showing the restoration works.
Documentary Screening

A screening of a documentary about the project rounded off the evening, giving visitors a behind-the-scenes look at how the archive came together.

A living tradition
Gregorian Chant at the Exhibition

The celebration paused for a performance of Gregorian chant, filling the church hall with the same ancient sound that has accompanied worship here for generations. For many, it was the moment that connected the archive’s history to something still very much alive today.

Keep exploring

The stories live on

The exhibition may be over, but the archive that inspired it is still here to explore.

Explore the Archive
Stone statue of Jesus on the cross at St Walburge's, secured during restoration work.
An 1896 painting by E. Beattie showing the former St Walburge's presbytery and schools, replaced in 1903.
Vintage photograph of a wartime or post-war parade of uniformed women marching through a Preston street.
Group photograph of Catholic clergy and dignitaries outside the walls of St Walburge's.
Vintage black-and-white photograph of a St Walburge's religious street procession featuring a large crucifix float.
Historic photo of children and altar servers gathered at the St Walburge's sanctuary for the May Crowning of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Archival group photograph of a large class of schoolboys posed outdoors with two female teachers and a male teacher against a brick school building.
Historic architectural sketch design for a marble wall-lining with a series of pointed arches.
Historic black-and-white photo of a St Walburge's procession with children dressed as angels, led by a child carrying a "Fervour" banner.
Historic handwritten letter in cursive script, signed by Father Newcastle.