Thanks to a grant of nearly a quarter of a million pounds from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. the Museum of Bath at Work can now look forward to three years of new projects, displays and exhibitions.
The museum has announced a £241,918 grant from the HLF to work with the local community on ‘Museum Making’ – creating new displays, projects and exhibitions telling the stories of Bath’s working people, their trades and jobs, and their working lives.
This three-year project will secure a long-term future for the Museum and enable us to share the story of ‘What Bath Makes and What Makes Bath’.
The Museum of Bath at Work is unique amongst Bath’s museums and heritage attractions for its focus on the trades and businesses that made Bath – a small provincial city in the 18th century that became a destination for health and tourism, and an industrial and working city in the 19th and 20th centuries.
The Museum building is a great example of ‘Bath at work’, starting as a Real Tennis Court, then used for all sorts of entertainments and shows, and in the later 19th century becoming a brewery and then a factory.
It is an independent museum run by a charity, Bath Industrial Heritage Trust, with just one employee and a big team of volunteers. The funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund enables the museum to appoint an additional full-time post and two part-time posts for three years.
This will massively increase its capacity to work with local residents and community groups to develop ideas for projects and displays, and to use the Museum’s huge collections to create new ways of telling stories about Bath life in the past.
Residents, local groups and schools will be able to take part over the next three years through projects, events and training opportunities, allowing even more people to enjoy and play a part in Bath’s heritage.
The museum says it is energised by what the grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund enables it to do: step-up access and participation, increase visitor numbers, and secure the Museum’s future.
In the long-term, the project will build the skills of the Museum’s volunteers and attract new volunteers, strengthen our network of groups and organisations, and raise public awareness of the importance of looking after our local heritage.
Keep checking our website and social media for more updates and to see how you can get involved with ‘Museum Making’:
Website https://bath-at-work.org.uk/
Dr Trevor Turpin, Chair of Bath Industrial Heritage Trust said:
‘We are delighted to have received this generous support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to money raised by National Lottery players we can look forward to three years of new projects, displays and exhibitions. It’s an exciting time and we look forward to working with our community on ‘Museum Making’.
Stuart Burroughs, Director of the Museum said:
‘Additional staff roles at the Museum, funded by the grant, will make a huge difference to our ability to work with everyone in the local community. This grant is amazing news!‘
Further information:
About the Museum of Bath at Work
The Museum of Bath at Work is in Julian Road, Bath and shows displays of the working and industrial history of Bath in the 19th and 20th centuries. The Museum is run by a registered charity, Bath Industrial Heritage Trust Ltd, and opened in 1978. It is an independent museum, so it receives no regular funding from the Government. The Museum acknowledges the support of Bath & North East Somerset Council towards the cost of renting its premises.
About The National Lottery Heritage Fund
As the largest dedicated funder of the UK’s heritage, The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future as set out in our strategic plan, Heritage 2033.
Over the next ten years, we aim to invest £3.6billion raised for good causes by National Lottery players to bring about benefits for people, places and the natural environment.
We help protect, transform and share the things from the past that people care about, from popular museums and historic places, our natural environment and fragile species, to the languages and cultural traditions that celebrate who we are.
We are passionate about heritage and committed to driving innovation and collaboration to make a positive difference to people’s lives today, while leaving a lasting legacy for future generations to enjoy.
