Regeneration

The Harris Museum in Preston is set to undergo a £14m refurbishment with the keys officially handed over to a construction company this week.

The Harris Your Place project aims to "restore and reimagine" the Lancashire museum. In preparation for the massive refurbishment, more than 250,000 objects have been removed from the site by expert movers and placed in storage. Works including oil paintings, watercolours, sculptures, drawings and prints have been individually cleaned using conservation tools.

The museum's ceremonial key, designed by Alfred Gilbert, was initially used to open the Harris back in 1893 by Arthur Stanley, the 16th Earl of Derby. It consists of an Art Nouveau-style openwork terminal enclosing a rock crystal drop below a finial crown and features an enamelled coats of arms from the Stanley family.

This week, Peter Kelly, Cabinet Member for Arts and Culture at Preston City Council, will hand it to Michael Conlon, chairman of Conlon Construction, signalling the official launch of the restoration project.

“Accepting the ceremonial keys to the Harris, a building of tremendous cultural and historical significance to the city of Preston, is a huge honour,” said Conlon.

The museum will reopen in 2024 and hopes to see annual visitor numbers increase from 350,000 to 450,000.

The world's first iron-framed building will open next month as a visitor attraction following a £28m restoration.

Known as the "grandparent of skyscrapers", the Main Mill structure at Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings paved the way for modern-day skyscrapers as the world’s first iron-framed building following construction in 1797.

The site, consisting of eight listed buildings, has been closed for the past 35 years, but four of the buildings are due to open next month as a visitor destination and workspace following a £28m, eight-year restoration programme overseen by Historic England.

The opening will be accompanied by a new exhibition, "The Mill", telling the story of Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings, its crucial role in the industrial revolution and those who campaigned to save it. 

West Yorkshire Combined Authority is launching a consultation into a new programme to develop arts, culture, heritage and sport in the area.

Locals are being invited to share their opinions and contribute to the final content of the Culture, Heritage and Sport Framework via an online platform.

The draft framework is part of West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin’s Creative New Deal, which aims to ensure the creative industries are included in the area’s post-pandemic recovery strategy. The framework focuses on four central themes - people, place, skills and business - all of which will be supported by the Combined Authority.

“There is no doubt that the arts, culture, heritage and sport bring so much joy to so many people in our region,” Brabin said.

“They improve our mental and physical wellbeing, create jobs, grow our economy, and attract talented people and businesses to our region.”

She praised West Yorkshire’s sculpture and contemporary art, as well as its “thriving and fiercely independent music sector, a rich literary tradition, internationally significant theatre, dance and opera companies, major music and literature festivals, and cutting-edge hubs for the games, screen and events industries.”

“This is served by an eco-system of innovative small and medium enterprises and freelancers,” she added.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has launched a public consultation on what social and environmental causes should benefit from more than £700m of dormant assets funding in England.

Currently, dormant assets funding in England is required to be spent on three causes - youth, financial inclusion or social investment, but the government is reviewing whether these remain the right causes for where funding from dormant assets can be allocated.

One option under consideration for views is a community wealth fund proposal that would see pots of money distributed over long periods of time in local communities in England, with decisions made by residents to make a difference where it is most needed.

DCMS is welcoming response from members of the public, community groups, and industry stakeholders.

The consultation will close on Sunday 9 October.

Wrexham will make another bid for the title of City of Culture in 2029 after recently losing out to Bradford for the 2025 title.

Members of Wrexham Council's executive board approved launching another attempt to win the title at a meeting this week. They also supported a number of other recommendations including inviting the National Eisteddfod to Wrexham in 2025.

Hugh Jones, the arts portfolio holder, said he was confident about the council’s chances of success in 2029.

He said: “If you look at the facts with Bradford and the size of their team, they had eight full time staff and a PR agency that had been working on the project for two and a half years.

“In just over six months, we came so close to winning this and that gives an indication of the achievement that we had in Wrexham.

“Clearly, we want to bid for 2029 and why wouldn’t we because 2025 is probably worth somewhere in the region of £300m."

Herefordshire Council has agreed to invest £8m of capital funding for the complete refurbishment of Hereford Museum and Art Gallery. 

A further £500,000 will be allotted to help relocate Hereford Library to a renovated Maylord Orchards centre.

The funding will be awarded in addition to £8m from Stronger Towns and £2m from another fund, bringing the total budget for the museum refurbishment to £18m, with a further £3.5m allocated for the relocation and renovation of the library. 

The new Library and Learning Resource Centre will provide rentable space for organisations including the council’s adult learning services and health and wellbeing clinics.

“I’m delighted cabinet members reached agreement on these two significant proposals for Herefordshire,” councillor Gemma Davies told Gloucestershire Live.

“Our investment in cultural services is so important to support local people and adds exciting destinations and support for both residents and tourists.”

She said that the new museum is expected to attract around £2.5m annually to the local economy.

“These projects represent good value for money for the people of Herefordshire and put culture at the very heart of our city’s future,” she said.

Six projects designed to support heritage, culture and nature have received funding from the National Lottery to help communities recover from the impact of the pandemic. 

A total of £13.7m from the National Lottery Heritage Fund has been allocated, including £2.1m to Leeds Culture Trust for its Leeds 2023 project, a creative programme that aims to "let culture loose" across the whole city. 

The funding will be used to help uncover hidden community stories, celebrate art, music, dance and industrial history; reconnect people with nature; explore the traditions and role of different cultures in Leeds.

Meanwhile, Derbyshire Dales District Council has been awarded £1m for its Hurst Farm Heritage Trail project.

And Blyth Tall Ship has been awarded £636,600 for its Blyth Heritage Community Response project, which will provide group activities to develop their skills and improve their own wellbeing and employability.

Other beneficiaries are Redruth Revival for its project Redruth Buttermarket: Rediscovering the Market Town, the Tweed Forum for its Destination Tweed: Source to Sea Restoration and Revitalisation project, and NatureScot for its Species on the Edge project.

Eilish McGuinness, Chief Executive of The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “I am delighted that we were able to support these exciting projects, which put heritage at the heart of people and places. 

"It is so uplifting to see the continued ambition in the light of the impact of the pandemic and ongoing challenges, protecting our precious heritage and supporting communities to recover and thrive."

Chesterfield’s Pomegranate Theatre is closing at the end of the month as part of a £17.5m restoration project.

The plans will see work completed on the Stephenson Memorial Hall, home to both the theatre and Chesterfield Museum, which has already closed.

Chesterfield Borough Council says the theatre will be extended and the museum reconfigured, with a new gallery space and café bar. New educational and community facilities will also be created.

The project is part funded by the council, with £11m coming from the government’s levelling-up fund.

The Council’s service director for leisure, culture and community wellbeing Ian Waller says the plans will make the Stephen Memorial Hall “even more memorable and enjoyable, creating a modern visitor experience in the heart of our town”.