Regional Heritage Centre

Lancaster skyline and snowy mountains

Established in 2014, the Regional Heritage Centre promotes and celebrates the rich social and cultural heritage of North West England by engaging with the regional community.

Newsflash - Details Coming Soon for the RHC's First Event of 2025.

On Saturday 8 February 2025, Dr Alan Crosby will be back for another of his popular one-man study days – this time on Riot and Rebellion: popular dissent and protest in the North West 1500-1850. Alan’s events are always a highlight of the RHC calendar, and tend to sell out quickly, so be sure to save the date and watch this space for sales notifications. This event will be for an in-person audience only and will not be recorded, so don't miss it.

  • Who We Are

    The Regional Heritage Centre (RHC) promotes and celebrates the rich social and cultural heritage of North West England by engaging with the regional community.

  • News

    Do you want to carry out your own local history research but are not sure where to start? Or would you like to improve your skills and knowledge but need a flexible programme that fits around your other commitments? Our Postgraduate Certificate in Regional and Local History, a 12-month part-time online course, is now recruiting for an October start.

  • Support the RHC

    The RHC relies on the generosity of our Friends and Patrons. Find out more about the benefits of supporting the RHC in this way.

  • VCH Cumbria

    The Victoria County History (VCH) of Cumbria project aims to write the history of every place in Cumbria with the help of volunteer researchers.

  • Consultancy and Placements

    Our academic expertise, our students, and our experience of event management and publishing can help to support heritage organisations in the region.

  • Regional Heritage in Schools

    The RHC is developing activities to help schools in the North West engage with the Local History element in the school curriculum.

  • Oral History and Other Archives

    Find out more about the Elizabeth Roberts Working Class Oral History Archive.

  • Publications

    Books published through the former Centre for North-West Regional Studies are still available for purchase through the RHC, along with more recent publications.

  • Study With Us

    Our distance learning Postgraduate Certificate in Regional and Local History is recruiting for an October start, while our award-nominated short course 'Lancaster Castle and Northern English History' is accessible for free on the Futurelearn platform.

  • Our events

    We offer a programme of study days and other events on the heritage of North West England which are all open to members of the public.

  • External Events and Announcements

    Events and news from around the region.

Contact Us

By Post

Regional Heritage Centre
Department of History
Bowland College
Lancaster University
Lancaster
LA1 4YT
United Kingdom

By Phone

+44 (0)1524 593770

Usually staffed on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 9:30-15:30

RHC Director:
Dr Chris Donaldson

Academic Co-ordinator:
Dr Oliver Wilkinson

Administrator
Ann-Marie Michel

For the Victoria County History of Cumbria, please contact Dr Sarah Rose