New funding for final phase of museum revamp

Initial funding has been secured to allow the final phase of transformation works to begin at a Leicester museum.

On Tuesday, the National Lottery Heritage Fund awarded £411,111 of development funding to Leicester City Council so the authority could work up refurbishment plans for Leicester Museum & Art Gallery.

Proposals for the project include two brand new galleries, new teaching spaces and a new environment gallery covering themes such as natural history and climate change.

The city council said it would submit another application to the Heritage Fund for a full grant of £5,234,445 in 2026, to help fund the new galleries.

The new gallery would mean a return for some of the animals in the city's natural history collection, which have been in storage since the Wild Space gallery closed last year, said the council.

Following the award of the latest funding, the council will now appoint design teams to develop "detailed schemes" for the new galleries and carry out public engagement activities to help create final proposals for the New Walk venue.

Assistant city mayor for culture, Vi Dempster, said the council had been upgrading the infrastructure of the building over the past 10 years.

"Leicester Museum has been welcoming people for more than 175 years, but the old building has needed ongoing investment to bring it up to the standards of a modern visitor attraction," she said.

"We've installed new lifts and ramps, for example, to improve access to all areas of the museum - and this week, we've started work on a major scheme that will create a new suite of art galleries, a new shop and a brand new cafe.

"This initial funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund is the icing on the cake."

Robyn Llewellyn, area director of England, Midlands and East at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, added: "Thanks to National Lottery players, this project will create new opportunities to engage Leicester's communities with heritage and spark discussion, learning and enjoyment."

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