Cash boost for Hereford museum extension

Herefordshire’s heritage will be made more accessible to schoolchildren, visitors and researchers thanks to a  £703,000 cash injection from Herefordshire Council.

The Friars Street Museum Resource Centre, opened in December 2004, will benefit from a modern extension which will include a new learning centre and small exhibition area.

Herefordshire Council agreed to support the project at Cabinet on January 26.

The project is supported by a £1.2 million funding package from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).
 
Contractors are expected to start work on the extension in the spring and it is hoped the new centre will be re-opened in late 2007.

During construction it will not be possible to maintain access for groups. However, individual researchers will still be welcome.

More than 100,000 objects will be housed at the resource centre including a Turner painting, a collection of watercolours and other work by 18th century Leominster artist John Scarlet-Davies and a collection from 19th century county painter Brian Hatton.

The HLF has already provided £575,000 to help Herefordshire Council purchase and refurbish the Friar Street building under phase one and two.

“This latest grant is fantastic news for the county. The Museum Resource and Learning Centre is located in central Hereford and is the place were the majority of the county museum collections are looked after in superb conditions,” said Cllr Roy Stockton, Cabinet Member (Heritage Services).

“This grant means phase of three of the development of the centre can go ahead. This includes an extension to the existing building.

“This will create a learning centre for 60 people in a lecture facility, or 35 people working on tables.

“There will also be a range of learning programmes for school groups, public open days and adult learners, a public display in the entrance area, space for school groups to eat lunch inside and facilities for the fine art collection.

“The extension will also include a lift to allow access to all areas for mobility impaired users,” added Cllr Stockton.

“The centre is already a state of the art facility. This money will enable all the wonderful collections we hold to be looked after in one place.

“I enjoy my visits to the centre and look forward to the time when the art collections are as easy to see as the rest of the collections”.

Kate Andrew, the Council’s Principle Heritage Officer, said: “We’ve welcomed more than 1,000 visitors to the centre since we completed phase 2 last year, including nearly 400 individual researchers.

“We look forward to having the facilities to care for, and provide excellent access to, all of our collections linked to a programme of events, sessions and activities for all ages.

“The support of the Heritage Lottery Fund and Herefordshire Council have been key to delivering this vision and we are very grateful for this support.”