Category: museums

ACE Public Investment in English Museums Report 2024

ACE Public Investment in English Museums Report 2024

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In late 2023 the Arts Council England (ACE) commissioned a report on public investment in English museums. The report, published in January 2024, shows that local authority funding per capita in museums during the 14 years from 2009-10 to 2022-23 reduced by 23%. It also shows that the East of England has above average spend per capita, whilst Northern and South West England have the highest levels of local authority funding for museums.

The research was commissioned with the aim of producing a comprehensive set of data that can support museums, local authorities, and stakeholders with budget planning, and encourage a strategic and collaborative approach to considering the funding challenges facing both museums and local government. The report concludes with a set of potential actions in response to changes in local authority funding, highly relevant to industrial heritage museums and sites, focussing on:

  • the current financial position and outlook;
  • workforce issues;
  • skills and capacity;
  • making the case for museums;
  • and levers for change

To download and read the report follow this link: https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/research-and-data/research-understand-levels-public-investment-museums

Cultural Development Fund: Round Four Opens

Cultural Development Fund: Round Four Opens

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Arts Council England have announced the next stage of funding from the Cultural Development Fund. This is part of the wider Cultural Investment Fund which is funded by the Department for Media, Culture, and Sport and delivered by Arts Council England. In the past three rounds several industrial heritage sites and museums have been successful in applications, such as Elsecar Heritage Centre in Barnsley.

Stage Four has a total of £15.2 million on offer, with grants ranging between £2 million and £5 million. In order to be eligible for Round Four, you must be either a local partnership led by a local authority, a Local Enterprise Partnership, or another appropriate body. The Cultural Development Fund aims to ‘unlock local growth, productivity and regenerate communities through capital investment in culture’. This money will act as a ‘boost’ for cultural venues across the country and improve access to culture. The Arts Council encourages applications from ‘Places that have a strategic vision for their development and can demonstrate both cultural maturity and commitment to culture-led growth but need investment in physical and/or digital infrastructure or other assets to accelerate and maximise their impact.’

The window for expression of interest for these grants opened on Monday 5th February 2024. The deadline for expressions of interest closes at 12pm on Friday 15th March 2024. Thereafter, applications open on Monday 8th April 2024, and the final deadline for submission will be at 12pm Friday 17th May 2024. To view the full announcement and to check your eligibility visit the Arts Council England website.

F-Pit Museum, Washington, Due for £2.2 Million Upgrade

F-Pit Museum, Washington, Due for £2.2 Million Upgrade

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Sunderland City Council is seeking to appoint a design team for a £2.2 million upgrade of Washington’s F-Pit Museum. Following a consultation on regeneration plans for Washington F-Pit Museum and Albany Park in 2022, the Council has now developed a draft outline Masterplan for improvements to the Park and a concept sketch proposals for a new Heritage Centre and Café to enhance the heritage offer and visitor appeal of this unique site for residents and visitors.

The successful architect-led multi-disciplinary design team will oversee the details of the upgrade. Due for completion in 2027, the project aims to boost visitor numbers to the museum and to secure a ‘viable and sustainable long-term future’ for the site, drawing new visitors to Washington and Sunderland. The museum is currently on Historic England’s Heritage At Risk Register and only receives around 1,000 visitors a year

The F-Pit Engine House and attached headgear are a Scheduled Ancient Monument, and are the only surviving structures of New Washington Colliery. The Engine House was presented by the National Coal Board to the people of Washington as a monument, following its closure in 1968, and it has operated as a Museum since 1976. Albany Park was formed from land reclaimed from the former colliery.

Further details here: https://www.sunderland.gov.uk/fpit-albany-park?ccp=true

Washington F-Pit, Sunderland. Image courtesy of Sunderland City Council.
Heritage Steam to Return to Elsecar

Heritage Steam to Return to Elsecar

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Barnsley Museums and Barnsley Council have launched their new vision for the historic Elsecar Ironworks site, including the re-establishment of a heritage railway and much more. They would like to thank everyone who has shared ideas and thoughts already about this very special historic site with a proud history, which is now a Scheduled Ancient Monument, thanks to our Heritage Action Zone Partnership with Historic England.

The future vision for the former ironworks includes:

  • New heritage railway destination, including a reconstructed 1849 Fitzwilliam locomotive, powered by sustainable fuels
  • New rail college and rail technology test track, training more than 400 students each year
  • Advanced engineering workshops showcasing the region’s innovation
  • New ‘Cultural Canteen’ and outdoor events and performance area, against the spectacular backdrop of the ironworks furnaces and restored blast wall
  • Active Travel Hub and Cycle Hire, to enable families and visitors to travel to Elsecar, and explore the Elsecar Valley, on foot and by bike

Barnsley Museums and Barnsley Council look forward to inviting everyone, starting with local residents, to special events, activities and tours in the New Year to discuss how this vision could be taken forward. It will take time to make the new development a reality and to secure funding to make it happen, but they are confident of being able to do so, and all the positive benefits it will mean for our region.

The proposed development is in addition to works due to start in Spring 2024 to The New Yard and The Ironworks events building, for which funding has already been secured from the Cultural Development Fund.

For more information, to watch a film about these proposals, and read a vision document and frequently-asked questions, please see: www.elsecar-heritage.com/forging-ahead

Derby Museums Launch Flood Damage Appeal After Storm Babet

Derby Museums Launch Flood Damage Appeal After Storm Babet

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The Old Silk Mill, Derby, in 2014 before conversion to the Museum of Making

Flooding as a result of Storm Babet has caused significant damaged to the Museum of Making in Derby, housed in the former Old Silk Mill. The Grade II Listed pioneering mill includes remains from the original water-powered silk mill built in 1717-21 by Thomas and John Lombe. The current form of the building dates from a major rebuild in 1910 after a fire destroyed much of the early 18th century building, with additional elements added in the recent conversion to the Museum of Making.

The mill building was designed to withstand some flooding and the recently refurbished museum increased this resilience. However, the water levels in October 2023 reached far higher than predicted during the redesign of the museum structure. The museum’s staff worked tirelessly to move as much as possible off the ground floor before the flood hit, but the damage appears to be substantial. As a charity, Derby Museums relies heavily on donations and earned income through events and catering, which is currently affected by the flooding and its aftermath.

Derby Museums have said that they will be doing a full assessment of the damage as soon as the water has receded and it is safe to enter the building. However, they note that their museums are already in a precarious financial position. As a result, they have launched a public appeal to help raise funds for the restoration and repair of the Museum of Making.

Donations, big or small, can be made through the Derby Museums website here: Derby Museums Donation Page – please select ‘Museum of Making’ as the reason for your gift.

Flooding around the Museum of the Making, October 2023. Image Courtesy of Derby Museums.
IGMT Joins Forces with Leicestershire County Council on New Museum Development Midlands Partnership

IGMT Joins Forces with Leicestershire County Council on New Museum Development Midlands Partnership

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The mine headstocks at Blists Hill, Ironbridge. Copyright Dr Michael Nevell

The Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust has announce that IGMT, in partnership with Leicestershire County Council, has been awarded the Arts Council England (ACE) contract to deliver the new region-wide Museum Development Midlands programme from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2026. 

Museum Development UK (MDUK) is a network of all national Museum Development providers and practitioners in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. MDUK’s overarching goal is to support diverse, inclusive, and innovative museums that welcome people from all backgrounds. The networks are an important resource for industrial heritage museums and sites.

IGMT are currently the providers of the West Midlands Museum Development programme. From April 2024 their team will join with the team at the East Midlands programme to create a new Midlands team, to provide continuity to the sector.

Arts Council England has said that it will give this new Midlands programme a grant of £571,420 per year for two years (2024-26)to fund its work providing business development support to museums and their workforces across the Midlands.

This is part of a wider re-organisation of the UK Museum Development Network that will see mergers of the existing services across England. The new Area programmes will be known as:

  • Museum Development London
  • Museum Development Midlands
  • Museum Development North
  • Museum Development South East
  • Museum Development South West

It will bring the various partner organisations together to share insights and learning through a national programme, known as Museum Development England.

Further details about the new structures can be found via this link: https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/supporting-arts-museums-and-libraries/supporting-museums/museum-development-programme/museum-development-2024-26

Proposed Funding Cut to Royal Cornwall Museum: A Sign of Things to Come in the Industrial Heritage Museum Sector?

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The proposed withdrawal of core funding from Cornwall Council, announced in the summer of 2022, could threaten the future of the Royal Cornwall Museum. The museum, founded in 1818, holds a wide range of collections spanning 4,000 years of Cornwall’s history, including material and displays relating to the area’s rich mining heritage. Such a proposed cut from a key funder may be a sign of the potential impact of local authority cuts within the industrial heritage museum sector (and beyond), as councils battle rising inflation against tight budgets and legal requirements to support key services.

However, in an encouraging statement on the RCM’s website their Chief Executive Jonathan Morton stated that: “We are grateful to the delegation of senior officers from Cornwall Council for coming to the museum and allowing us to outline our situation, and to put forward our proposals for both a short term fix and a longer term solution. This meeting also allowed us to highlight the progress the museum has made over recent years and to reinforce the importance of the museum and its collections to the people of Cornwall.

We’ve been really encouraged by the response from Cornwall Council following the meeting, and both RCM and Cornwall Council have committed to continue to explore options, along with other partner organisations, to address the short and long term future of the museum, and will be undertaking further discussions in the coming days.”

You can help the museum by visiting, or making a donation and joining as a member by following this link: https://www.royalcornwallmuseum.org.uk/

National Brewery Centre, Burton, Threatened with Closure

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The National Brewery Centre in Burton-upon-Trent is being threatened with closure. The Grade II Listed brewery building is owned by Molson Coors, which is proposing to re-use the museum building as the new headquarters for its 500 staff in Burton. The intention is to switch from their current HQ in High Street to the brewery centre site. The museum is housed in the former Joiner’s shop of Bass’s Middle Brewery, which was built in 1866. The three-storey, brick-built structure, is 12 bays long.

Molson Coors’ High Street building will be demolished to make way for a new waterside development in the town centre. The waterside development is being led by the Burton Town Deal Board, which will spend £5 million in Government grants to create the development fronting the River Trent as part of the regeneration of the town centre. Molson Coors commented that ‘We’re committed to working with Planning Solutions Limited, the National Brewing Heritage Trust and the council to manage the closure of the site as sensitively as possible and finding the right new home for our industry’s important heritage.’

The Heritage Brewery Trust, which runs the centre, has said that a “selection” of its half-a-million brewing artefacts housed at the museum will be moved to Bass House, on the High Street. Currently 5,000 items including machinery are on display at the centre.

Further details can be found here: https://www.staffordshire-live.co.uk/news/burton-news/campaign-launched-save-burtons-national-7579458?utm_source=sharebar&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=sharebar

The National Brewery Centre’s website site can be found here: https://nationalbrewerycentre.co.uk/

A campaign has been launched to save the Brewery Centre on its current site. The petition can be found here: https://www.change.org/p/save-burton-s-national-brewery-centre?recruiter=161984374&recruited_by_id=1f2fbeae-b677-488b-9e39-654f3351841a&utm_source=share_petition&utm_campaign=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_content=cl_sharecopy_34423556_en-GB%3A6

 

Digital Development Training Seminars for Autumn 2022

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Booking is now open for new dates for these popular development sessions with Culture24. All courses are delivered online via Zoom in 3 x 2hr sessions – one session per week for three weeks. 

There are 18 places on each course – 2 places for each of 9 museums. All sessions are being delivered for museums across the Museum Development North East, North West, and Yorkshire regions. 

For more information about booking a place please contact: alexander.bird@manchester.ac.uk / bria.cotton@manchester.ac.uk

Funding Opportunity: Esmee Fairbairn Collections Fund

Funding Opportunity: Esmee Fairbairn Collections Fund

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The Esmée Fairbairn Collections Fund supports a range of projects that bring collections closer to people. They award the fund on behalf of the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation to projects that demonstrate the significance, distinctiveness, and power of collections to people. The fund has awarded over £11m to 170 projects since it launched in 2011.

The Esmée Fairbairn Collections Fund supports museums to use their collections to become relevant and sustainable organisations that are connected to, and valued by, their communities. All applications to the fund must focus on existing collections, typically held by an Accredited museum or partnership of museums and other organisations. The funded work must engage and involve audiences to achieve public benefit. In 2022 they have simplified the grants offered, recognising the challenge of the pandemic and seeking ways to build on the great work undertaken in the last two years. This year they are offering grants of up to £90k over two years for museums to test new, ambitious, creative collections engagement that has a social impact. These grants are for museums to innovate, kick-start, or develop their collections engagement practice where there is a strong link between a relevant collection and audience.

The last expression of interest deadline this year is 14 September 2022 for awards in December, following a two-stage process. In total £1.3m will be awarded in 2022 across an anticipated seven to ten projects in each funding round. All applicants will meet a set of essential requirements relating to using existing collections to engage, involve and inspire audiences. You can find out more about what they want to see in their guidance for applicants.

For more information and download applicant information packs, please click here to visit their website.