The People's History Museum will soon be revamped to unite its two buildings. © People's History Museum.
The People’s History Museum in Manchester is celebrating after securing funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for its proposed One-Site Project.
An earmarked grant of £7.18 million from the HLF will enable the museum to consolidate its current two sites into one and increase access to collections and the Archive and Textile Studio.
Beating off competition from a host of other bids, including the Museum of Liverpool, the news was announced by the Rt. Hon Tessa Jowell MP, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on January 25 2006.
A photographic mock up of the proposed new development. © People's History Museum.
“I am very pleased that the People’s History Museum has been successful in securing Heritage Lottery Fund support,” said the Minister. “It’s important that Lottery money directly benefits the people who actually buy tickets, so a museum which celebrates real people’s lives and tells their stories from the last two centuries is very deserving of an HLF grant.”
The money will be used to build an extension adjacent to the current museum galleries, which are housed in the Pump House on Bridge Street.
“We are delighted that our HLF application has been successful,” said Nick Mansfield, museum Director. “This is an exciting time for the museum and we are looking forward to finalising our plans so that we can tell the story of ordinary people in an inspiring and engaging way to appeal to as many people as possible.”
© People's History Museum.
The museum, which secured free entry in status in 2005, includes displays ranging from life in Victorian Cotton Mills to the growth of football as leisure activity. It is anticipated that it will close at the end of 2007 to allow for the re-development with the new museum opening in the summer of 2009.
A new changing exhibition, Carrying the Colours – banners from our collection, will open to the public on Saturday January 28 and run until October 29, 2006.
