Heritage Open Days - Wheatley Hill Heritage Centre

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Wheatley Hill Heritage Centre will be hosting an exhibition to the memory of miners leader and county councillor Peter Lee in view of the Peterlee '75 event held at the end of 2023 - marking 50 years since the opening of the new town.

Peterlee bears the distinction of being the only new town in the UK to be named after a person, the prominent local miners’ leader Peter Lee (1864 - 1935), who is laid to rest in Wheatley Hill Cemetery. Wheatley Hill History Club has secured grant funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and other sources to share Peter Lee’s story: ‘THE MAN THEY NAMED A TOWN AFTER’, and we are introducing the inspiring story of Peter Lee to young people across the area who have no emotional connection and knowledge of the social history and cultural heritage that has shaped the character of Peterlee new town and doing it in such a way that makes it compelling, capturing the imagination of the children, their teachers, parents and extended families. The History Club are working alongside a multi-disciplinary creative team that includes The Mad Alice Theatre Company and writer-director David Napthine who are working with KS2 children in local schools to deliver interactive workshops, the end result of which will be a new piece of theatre to be performed at the Lubetkin Theatre, Peterlee at the end of this year. Over Heritage Open Days weekend our exhibition featuring original artifacts connected with the life of Peter Lee, including personal items belonging to the man, will be available at Wheatley Hill Heritage Centre and copies of an illustrated publication covering his life story will be on sale.