Dorset Museum in Dorchester is one of 29 museums across the country to be awarded by Arts Council England a share of £25m from the Government’s Museum, Estate and Development Fund (MEND).
The Museum’s share amounts to over £940k which will replace the roof over the Victorian Hall, library and offices, while also repairing the leadwork and windows which had been identified as urgent in a survey carried out in January 2024.
Owned by the Dorset Natual History and Archaeological Society, the Museum houses internationally significant collections, including 4 million artefacts in archaeology, palaeontology, the Thomas Hardy archive, and the Elisabeth Frink collection.
This additional funding from Government is in addition to the £1.2m funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Dorset Council.
Claire Dixon, Executive Director, Dorset Museum & Art Gallery said:
“We are hugely grateful to Arts Council England and our funding partners National Lottery Heritage Fund and Dorset Council, for enabling us to invest in the long-term stability of our buildings. Without this financial support we would have faced closure of the hall and library, which were the original, custom designed centrepieces of Dorset Museum & Art Gallery.”
The above information was taken from Dorset Museum & Art Gallery’s blog. You can read the full article here: dorsetmuseum.org/museum-awarded-over-940k/
Other item of interest: British Science Week comes to Dorchester
