Museums and heritage

Plans for a multi-million pound transformation of one Sunderland’s main cultural attractions have moved forward after funding was secured from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens has secured £299,425, which will be matched by the City Council, to further develop proposals for a major revamp of the venue. This will include moving the museum’s main entrance, and a redesign of  the ground floor to include a central atrium, new galleries and a learning and engagement zone.

Meanwhile, programming will be adapted towards more family-focused activities and exhibitions, including a programme complementing the Winter Gardens with a focus on the natural world, biodiversity and climate change. 

Sunderland City Council says it is aiming to apply for a full National Heritage Lottery grant of £5m in 2024 to carry out the work..

“This is all about transforming, re-energising and rejuvenating Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens in line with what our residents and visitors have told us they want to see,” said Linda Williams, Cabinet Member for Vibrant City at Sunderland City Council.

“We want to make sure that the whole museum is a modern, accessible, bright and innovative space that shows off our rich and vibrant stories to everyone near and far.”

She added that a major part of the project will involve updating the story of Sunderland to “better reflect our communities, who we are, and where we come from”.

Rebecca Ball, Chief Executive of Sunderland Culture, said the work “will help ensure the museum is able to continue to develop new and innovative ways to both safeguard and share the city's stories for all our communities”.

Two museums in Northampton have regained full accreditation from Arts Council England, eight years after the controversial sale of an ancient Egyptian statue for nearly £16m.

The Northampton Chronicle reports that following the sale of the 4,000-year-old Sekhemka statue in 2014, which saw the current Lord Northampton Spencer Compton receive around £6 million and the Northampton Borough Council receive the rest, Northampton Museum and Art Gallery's accreditation was stripped on ethical grounds.

The sale was widely condemned in the art world and the council was removed from the Museums Association, making them ineligible to apply for funding.

Abington Park Museum also had its accreditation stripped as it was under the ownership of the council. But both museums have now regained it.

Nick Gordon, Cultural Services Manager at West Northamptonshire Council, said:  “The Council is really pleased and it has been a lot of work to get to this point. The loss has really had an impact and we hope to move things on and leave the past behind us now.

“We are under completely different administration now and we have learnt from what was done through the consequences. We want to put this to bed and face the future, but not forget.”

Museums and galleries across England are receiving a share of £4m to improve displays, protect collections and make exhibitions more accessible to visitors.

The funding is available through the latest round of the Galleries Improvement Fund, administered by DCMS and Wolfson Museums. It has been split between 33 museums in total, 26 of which are outside London.

Beneficiaries include the People’s History Museum in Manchester, which will receive £214,300 to improve access to the museum for people with disabilities, and New Forest’s National Motor Museum, which will use its £200,000 grant to install new heating and lighting to improve environmental performance.

The largest grant (£254,900) went to County Durham’s Bowes Museum to develop four new gallery spaces. Executive Director Hannah Fox said the funding will “play a significant role in enhancing the Museum’s relationship and place within the local community”.

DCMS Arts Minister Lord Parkinson said all awards “will help people who may have previously found visiting museums and galleries difficult and make sure everyone can enjoy and engage with the wonderful collections and exhibitions they offer”.
 
“With 80% of the money going to museums outside the capital, this funding is further evidence of the government’s commitment to levelling up and widening access to culture,” he added.

The leading concerns for art galleries in the UK in the coming year are staffing issues and rising costs, a new survey has revealed.

The Heritage Risk Barometer 2022, published by Ecclesiastical, a specialist heritage insurer, identified the top four concerns over the next 12 months as the recruitment and retention of volunteers (cited by 81% of respondents), increasing costs (78%), recruitment and retention of staff (77%) and crime (77%).

The survey aimed to identify the top risks within the heritage sector, focusing on concerns including the impact of the cost-of-living crisis, the recruitment crisis and responding to climate change. 

Over the next three years, the top concerns for galleries were identified as competition from other types of attraction (79%), political uncertainty and the impact of changing government policy (79%) and the ease of access and adaptation for visitors with additional needs (79%).

In the longest-term outlook, covering the next five years, concerns remained focused on staffing and running costs, with 90% of respondents citing recruitment and retention of volunteers as their biggest concern. 

Other long-term concerns included maintaining and repairing heritage buildings (78%), the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on visitor numbers (76%) and lack of diversity among trustees and management boards (76%). 

“The arts sector is facing unprecedented economic uncertainty as inflation and the cost of living soars,” said Faith Kitchen, Customer Segment Director at Ecclesiastical Insurance. 

“Art galleries are having to face huge challenges and many are looking at ways they can cut costs while still maintaining visitor numbers. We hope the Heritage Risk Barometer 2022 will help art galleries think about the risks they face and how best to protect their organisations for the future.”
 

Staff at the National Coal Mining Museum (NCMM) in Wakefield, Yorkshire, have called off further industrial action after agreeing to a pay rise of up to 10.5%.

Union members staged a five-day strike last month after receiving a pay offer that was less than half of the £2,000 increase they had requested in light of the cost-of-living crisis.

The museum has now offered full-time workers a revised pay settlement of £1,650 plus a one-off cost-of-living payment of £350, with part-time staff receiving a pro-rata increase.

The Museums Association says the increase will apply to around 100 staff, many of whom are ex-miners who work as guides.

Unison's Wakefield district Branch Secretary Sam Greenwood said: “Museum staff took a stand and have achieved a wage rise that goes some way towards helping them through the cost-of-living crisis.

“Thankfully now the museum and its employees can continue with their amazing work sharing the story of the region's substantial coal mining heritage for future generations to better understand and enjoy.”
 

Nottingham Castle has closed to visitors after the trust responsible for its operation revealed it is about to enter liquidation. 

The Nottingham Post reports that Nottingham Castle Trust has started the process of appointing liquidators. 

A statement published today (21 November) by the trust's board said: "We are saddened and hugely disappointed to announce that today, Nottingham Castle Trust has begun the process of appointing liquidators. This is a heartbreaking day for trustees, our staff, visitors, and the city.

"Despite the immense dedication of staff and volunteers, the Castle is now closed to visitors."

Nottingham Castle reopened in June last year after a three-year renovation. The £30m project, which was partially funded with £8m loaned from the city council and £13m from a lottery grant, saw a new visitor centre and cafe added, with existing galleries refurbished.

Bristol Museums has closed two of its six venues until April next year, due to a shortage of staff.

The Georgian House Museum and the Red Lodge Museum have closed early this year, the organisation announced on its website, citing staff shortages.

Both museums closed their doors on 11 November.

A statement said staff "will be working behind the scenes” to maintain the buildings and ready them for reopening in 2023.

Bristol Museums’ four other sites, Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, M Shed, Blaise Museum and Bristol Archives will continue to operate as normal.

The closures follow Bristol City Council’s announcement of a 10% cut to the museums and archive budget earlier this year. A total of £436,000 was cut from the budget, as part of an attempt to balance the books and avoid cuts to frontline services, according to Bristol Live.
 

The Museum of London will host two free weekend festivals ahead of its relocation project.

A family festival featuring arts, crafts and theatre will take place on the weekend of 26 and 27 November, followed by a festival of music on the weekend  of 3 and 4 December.

The museum will be open for over 24 hours for the first time in its history on the first week of December, before closing its doors at its London Wall site - its home for the last 45 years - for the final time.

The museum will reopen in 2026 as the London Museum in West Smithfield.

“Over 21 million people have visited our galleries to find out more about this great city, its history, and its people. We’re looking forward to one final hurrah before we continue the museum’s next chapter in our new location at West Smithfield,” Museum of London Director Sharon Ament said.