£4 million for England’s museums
The Government and the Wolfson Foundation have awarded grants worth £4 million to 39 museums and galleries in England.
The foundation put up half the funding for these improvements, which are aimed at increasing access, upgrading public spaces and updating displays.
In London, the Natural History Museum is receiving £100,000 for improvements to their iconic central space, the Hintze Hall. A further £200,000 is being used to renovate the Central Gallery and the West Court at the V&A, which house the museums world famous casts of architectural wonders.
Some of the capital’s smaller museums that are receiving the funds include: £75,000 for the Young Engineers Gallery at the London Transport Museum and £40,000 for GET BUSY at the Museum of London Docklands.
Matt Hancock, Minister of State for Digital and Culture said: “These grants will make an important contribution toward increasing access to their wonderful collections and improving the visitor experience at museums right across the country.
The largest single grant went to the Weald and Downland Museum in Singleton, West Sussex, which is using the funds to support a dairy and bakery exhibiting historical Sussex food production methods.
£100,000 is being used by the National Football Museum to display the world’s largest collection of women’s football memorabilia at the museum’s site in Manchester.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Wolfson Foundation have contributed £44m to 382 projects across England’s museums since the improvement scheme was launched in 2001.
Paul Ramsbottom, CEO of the Wolfson Foundation, said: "This is a wonderful example of how a charity and government can work fruitfully together in partnership and we are grateful to government for matching our funding”.
“The awards demonstrate the richness and variety of the country’s museum collections. From Egyptian mummies in Leicester to a Roman fort on Tyneside, this is a gloriously diverse set of projects – but all demonstrate excellence and all will improve the visitor experience”.