Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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£4 million boost for museums across England - polar bears, dinosaurs, historic dogs and rare violins to benefit
Forty-three museums and galleries in England will benefit from grants totalling £4 million, Culture Minister Margaret Hodge announced today. Provided jointly by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Wolfson Foundation, the grants will help improve the quality of museum displays and the visitor experience.
This year's grants go to an imaginative array of projects
aimed to improve access and understanding of our cultural
heritage, including:
* A room makeover for Leicester's
dinosaurs
* Improved access to internationally significant
collection including eighty-eight stuffed domestic dogs, which
illustrate the impact of selective breeding - Natural History
Museum at Tring
* Redisplay of the rare Amati violin -
Cumbria
* Conservation and rehanging of 18th century
"mobile" Chinese wallpaper lost for 150 years - Harewood
House
* Refurbishment of the Tank Museum - Bovington
* A
new Buddhist Sculpture in Asia gallery - Victoria and Albert
Museum, London
* A new double storey, 3D Bio Wall dedicated to
the natural world - the Great North Museum project, Tyne &
Wear
* Creation of a major new exhibition of London's
history from 1950 to present, Londoners - Museum of London
*
Re-display of the popular Foreign Mammals Gallery - including the
Norfolk Polar Bear - Norwich Castle
* An improved entrance for
the Courtauld Institute of Art Gallery, in their 75th anniversary
year
* Innovative new signage system at the British Museum
using images of iconic objects in the collection at key points in
the galleries.
Culture Minister Margaret Hodge said:
"Once again the
DCMS Wolfson Fund is providing support for museums and galleries
from all regions of England. This year's grants go to an
imaginative array of projects in national institutions, university
collections and well-loved local museums and galleries. This
funding will give visitors the best possible experience of some
wonderful collections
Paul Ramsbottom, Executive Secretary of the Wolfson Foundation
said:
"The Trustees of the Wolfson Foundation are pleased
that the fund again attracted a large number of high quality
applications. This investment continues to be appreciated by
museums and galleries, and we are delighted to be working in
partnership with DCMS to the benefit of so many important cultural institutions."
This is the sixth year of the current DCMS/Wolfson Foundation Museums & Galleries Improvement Fund, which has awarded a total of £20 million to institutions around the country since it was set up in 2002.
Notes to Editors
Press enquiries to Fiona Cameron 020 7211
6266 fiona.cameron@culture.gsi.gov.uk
Out of hours telephone
pager 07699 751153
Public enquiries 020 7211 6000
http://www.culture.gov.uk
The DCMS/Wolfson Foundation Museums & Galleries Improvement
Fund allocates £4 million annually to capital projects in national
and regional museums and galleries.
Museums and galleries
eligible to bid from the fund include institutions sponsored by
DCMS, designated collections in museums or universities, and
museums with non-designated collections in regional hubs.
http://www.culture.gov.uk/what_we_do/Museums_galleries/wolfson.htm
A summary of the successful institutions and projects is given below:
Institution Location Project Funding
Awarded
Ashmolean Museum Oxford The Cast Gallery: £165,000
uniting Classical
sculpture
Beamish, the North County Durham Colliery Lamp Cabin £145,000
of England Open Air Museum
Birmingham City Birmingham Museum of the £70,000
Museums and Art Jewellery Quarter -
Gallery gallery and visitor
improvements
Bradford Museums Bradford Cliffe Castle Museum - £25,000
Keighley's Stories
Bristol Museums Bristol Creative Spaces in £85,000
Bristol City Museum
and Art Gallery
British Museum London Innovative new signage £100,000
system using images of
iconic objects in the
collection at key
points in the
galleries.
Colchester Museums Colchester Natural History Museum £55,000
New Geology and
Climate Gallery
Courtauld London Gallery Entrance £40,000
Institute of Art Project
Exeter City Exeter The Royal Albert £50,000
Museums and Art Memorial Museum and
Gallery Arts Gallery
Development Project
Fitzwilliam Cambridge Greek and Roman £300,000
Gallery Project
Hampshire County Basingstoke The Willis Museum: Fit £50,000
Museums Service for the 21st Century
Harewood House Leeds Re-hanging of Chinese £83,300
Trust Wallpaper in the East
Bedroom at Harewood
House
Hartlepool Museums Hartlepool New, improved and £80,000
hands-on 'Story of
Hartlepool' galleries
Imperial War London Creation of new £80,000
Museum exhibition space (B
Floor Galleries)
Imperial War Museum
London
Jewish Museum London The Jewish Museum £95,000
Development Project
Leeds Museums and Leeds Building on Success: £72,000
Galleries the restoration of [A]
Sir John Ramsden's
Dressing Room and the
Red Dressing Room, and
[B] the Darnley Room
at Temple Newsam
Leicester City Leicester New Walk Museum and £145,000
Museums and Art Art Gallery -
Gallery Prehistorica
London Transport London Creation of a new £125,000
Museum design gallery for the
Museum's reopening in
Nov 2007
Manchester Museum Manchester Manchester Identity £120,000
Project, developing a
new permanent
exhibition, and
creating a new model
for public engagement
and community
participation within
museums exhibitions.
It will be
specifically designed
to explore the
Museum's own
relationship with
Manchester's historic
and contemporary place
in the world,
celebrating its links
with the people of
Manchester.
Museum of London London Creation of a major £70,000
new exhibit looking at
London's history from
1950 to the present
National Gallery London Improvements to £100,000
environmental controls
in the 16th Century
Flemish and
Netherlandish
Galleries
National Maritime London Build of special £75,000
Museum Exhibitions Gallery
National Motor Beaulieu, Re-vitalising £60,000
Museum Hampshire Britain's first major
exhibition of motoring
history; the National
Motor Museum in the
21st Century.
National Museums Liverpool Maritime Park - using £220,000
Liverpool modern technology to
bring Liverpool's
historic docks and
quaysides to life, and
to link Merseyside
Maritime Museum and
the newly opened
International Slavery
Museum with the Museum
of Liverpool, due to
open in 2010.
National Portrait London Providing lift access £122,000
Gallery to the mezzanine
landing, the only part
of the Gallery
currently not
accessible to visitors
and staff with
mobility problems,
together with other
improvements to the
display area.
Natural History Tring, Natural History Museum £87,000
Museum Hertfordshire at Tring Gallery Six
Redevelopment:
Amphibians, Reptiles,
Marsupials and
Domestic Dogs
Norfolk Museums Norwich Transforming the £60,000
Natural History
Galleries at Norwich
Castle, exploring the
lives of the Victorian
collectors through
fascinating tales of
adventure and
exploration. Many more
specimens will be on
display, some for the
first time such as the
extremely rare Great
Auk.
Oxford University Oxford Basement showcase £55,000
Museum of Natural upgrade History
Peoples' History Manchester Build a new and £60,000
Museum improved Changing
Exhibition Gallery and
create a new Community
Gallery
Pitt Rivers Museum Oxford Showcasing the Pitt £128,000
Rivers Museum's new
entrance
Royal Engineers Chatham Model Bridging Gallery £33,400
Museum Project
Sedgwick Museum Cambridge Sedgwick Museum £28,000
Gallery Redevelopment
(Darwin Project) -
Making the galleries
more accessible to
hearing, sight and
mobility impaired
visitors
Sheffield Sheffield Graves Art Gallery - £126,000
Galleries & Rise and Shine Stage
Museums Trust II
Stoke-on-Trent Stoke-on-Trent Gladstone Pottery £39,000
Museums Service Museum - Learning for
Life
Tank Museum Bovington At Close Quarters - £100,000
The Discovery Centre
Tullie House Carlisle Amati violin display £8,300
Museum & Art and interpretation
Gallery project
Tyne & Wear Newcastle upon Diversity of Life £200,000
Museums Tyne (Great North Museum)
Victoria and London Buddhist Sculpture in £300,000
Albert Museum Asia
Wallace London Restoration of the £75,000
Collection* Small Drawing Room,
creating a new setting
for the wonderful Fete
Galante paintings of
18th Century France by
Watteau, Pater and
Lancret.
Weald and Downland Chichester Vehicle and Implement £27,000
Museum Gallery
Wedgwood Museum Stoke-on-Trent The Enhancement and £100,000
Trust Implementation of the
Wedgwood Museum's
Interpretation Plan
Wiltshire Heritage Devizes Visitor Access £11,000
Museum Improvements
York Museums trust York Accessing York's £30,000
Museums
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