The Powell-Cotton Museum has been awarded a grant of £1.1 million from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport MEND fund, which is administered by Arts Council England. This funding will be utilised to replace the roof and address maintenance backlogs within the museum. This significant investment will ensure the preservation and upkeep of the museum’s
historical artifacts for future generations to enjoy.
The conditions inside of the museum are not suitable for long term storage of collections due to constant leaks and water intrusion. Since 2021, the museum team has struggled with a collections care crisis. Part of the stored collections have been moved to an alternative storage at high cost. The roof has been patch-repaired for many years, but it is clear the roof has reached the end of its useful life and needs to be replaced. Visitors will have seen taxidermy specimens wearing plastic sheets as ‘raincoats’ and items removed from display in order to protect them.
All efforts will be made to keep the museum as open to the public as possible throughout these works, however, this will be dependent on variables outside of the museum’s control. Therefore, the museum will continue to share information about this project through its website, social channels, local print publications and news outlets as the works progress. The museum does not anticipate any access problems to Quex House and Gardens and we will continue to operate our visitor experience as normally as possible.
Nigel Lewis, CEO, Powell-Cotton Museum says:
“This grant will allow us to replace the old leaking roof on the museum building which will protect and preserve the collection for decades to come. Whilst there will be some disruption during the works this year and next year, we will endeavour to ensure as much of the museum remains open and that our visitors continue to have a great experience. We are so grateful and excited to receive this funding from Arts Council England.”
Clare Valentine, Chair of Trustees, Powell-Cotton Trust says:
“This grant from Arts Council England is so significant and transformational for the Powell-Cotton Museum. For years we have struggled to halt the water ingress into the building which creates damp and wet conditions, damaging the artifacts and displays due to the water, associated damp and mould. Replacing the complete museum roof will dramatically improve the conditions within the museum and allow us to repair the internal damaged caused by the leaks and in so doing improve the visitor experience.”
The Museum would like to thank the project team including MacConvilles Chartered Surveyors, Lee Evans Partnership Architects and Caroline Taylor Consulting for their hard work and expertise in preparing the design of this project. Works are scheduled to begin on site during the summer of 2024, with a winter break before continuing into Spring 2025. These repairs will ensure the long-term future of the museum building as a suitable location to house unique collections which hold huge value to communities located both near and far from the museum.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport funds MEND which is administered by Arts Council England.
