Museums and galleries throughout the UK have been slowly opening up to the public since May and are now looking forward to greeting more visitors in 2021 when coronavirus restrictions ease this summer.
Whilst museums and galleries had to close their doors to the public during the nationwide lockdowns, many used the time to their advantage and undertook major refurbishment, investment and expansion projects. The Guardian has collated a list of top ten museums that have completed their projects and are reopening to the public this year.
The new Museum of Making in Derby, celebrates the area’s rich history of innovation. Set in the Derwent Valley Mills UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Museum of Making is the result of an £18 million project to create a contemporary space that showcases Derby’s 300-year history of innovation, design and manufacturing. It also sets the context for the ‘valley that changed the world’ with the birth of the modern factory system along the River Derwent, which helped kickstart the Industrial Revolution, transforming the region into a worldwide economic powerhouse. The Museum of Making building was formerly The Derby Silk Mill – widely regarded as the site of the world’s first modern factory. derbymuseums.org
The Thackray Museum of Medicine in Leeds, closed in May 2019 to embark on a large-scale £4 million redevelopment project, the biggest since its opening in 1997. It has since opened with 11 new galleries, a new café and shop. The museum takes visitors through the story of medicine. They wander through the grimy streets of Victorian Leeds, watch gruesome operations taking place in a 19th-century operating theatre, chart how well the world responds to crisis and discover the medical innovations that changed the world. thackraymuseum.co.uk
The Lambeth Palace Library, London, founded in 1610, documents over 1000 years of ecclesiastical and cultural life of the Church and Great Britain. Dating back as far as the 9th Century, the Collection contains over 4,600 manuscripts and nearly 200,000 printed books. Previously housed in cramped conditions across 20 rooms within the Grade I listed Palace buildings, it has now been relocated into a purpose built library in the grounds of the Palace. The project has sought to create a building that places paramount importance on the quality of materials and architecture to reflect the grandeur and status of the library collection. It provides space for its future growth, including modern reading room facilities, conservation studio and staff workplaces and display space. The covered terrace at the top of the nine-storey tower, which has views over London, will be open to the public once a month. lambethpalacelibrary.org
Other museums listed in the Guardian top ten include:
- Imperial War Museum, London iwm.org.uk
- Wordsworth, Grasmere wordsworth.org.uk
- The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, Staffordshire stokemuseums.org.uk
- Museum of the Home, London museumofthehome.org.uk
- Craven Museum and Gallery, Skipton skiptontownhall.co.uk
- Manchester Jewish Museum manchesterjewishmuseum.com
- Museum of Oxford museumofoxford.org
Steve Smith, Smith Greenfield Managing Director, speaking about museum renovation, says: “It is very positive news to hear about the successful renovation and updating of these museums. When undergoing a refurbishment of any kind, whether it’s looking after an older building, protecting a prized collection or moving objects, there are often special insurance requirements that must be met. We help our clients in this sector evaluate the risk and put the right level of specialist insurance in place to make sure they are fully covered.”
Smith Greenfield is an independent insurance broker specialising in museum insurance, collections insurance, historic buildings insurance and heritage buildings insurance. Please contact Steve Smith at steve.smith@smithgreenfield.co.uk or telephone 020 8603 3730 if you would like further information.
Photo: Museum of Making at Derby Silk Mill © Pictoria Pictures – Derby Museums