Some good new for Bath Preservation Trust as they prepare to re-open the Museum of Bath Architecture to the public next Saturday, March 30th.
The building is receive a grant from the Arts Council England MEND fund.
A £320,746 investment through the Museum Estate and Development fund will help recover post-pandemic costs for urgent maintenance repairs to the museum’s Countess of Huntington’s Chapel and manse, ensuring the long-term structural integrity of the building and therefore, safeguarding the treasured collections within it.
Alex Sherman, CEO of Bath Preservation Trust, said: “Maintenance of buildings is at the very top of the energy hierarchy – the first step in the conservation of any building – so the work that this grant will fund is absolutely vital to the overall conservation of both the physical building and the museum collection within.
We are really pleased that Arts Council England have recognised the importance of the building and its individual challenges. The MEND fund is hugely competitive so we are really lucky to get it, and very thankful.”
Bath Preservation Trust is reopening the Museum of Bath Architecture on 30th March and from Wednesday to Saturday, 10am-4pm, every week.
That’s for the present, but as part of the re-opening, the public’s going to be asked to contribute ideas for the museum’s future. The Trust says this will ensure the collection remains relevant, and the building is sustainable for current and future users.
Ticket prices, which include a free return pass valid up until the 15th December 2024, will be as follows:
- Adult: £7.00
- Concession: £6.00
- Under 18s: Free (must be accompanied by a paying adult)
- Discovery Card discount: 25%
- Art Fund discount: 50%
The Museum of Bath Architecture closed in December 2019 and, following the emergence of Covid-19 in 2020, was unable to reopen. As the pandemic waned and BPT’s other museums reopened, the Museum of Bath Architecture remained closed while the team considered its future.
The museum tells the story of the rich architectural history of Bath, from its transformation from a small medieval town into the world-famous Georgian city, to the Victorian expansion and 20th century demolitions. The collection includes maps, models, drawings, videos, paintings and tools that tell the story of how eighteenth-century architects and craftspeople helped turn a small walled town into the destination of choice for Georgian high society. Celebrating the distinctive Georgian architecture that makes Bath so special, and which has contributed to it becoming a UNESCO World Heritage Site, highlights of the collection include a 1:500 scale model of Bath, giving a miniature birds-eye-view of the whole city.
