Conservative-controlled Somerset County Council has been awarded £720,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) towards a £1.87 million project to redevelop Somerset Rural Life Museum in Glastonbury.
The Council’s Heritage Service submitted its bid in May and this grant has brought the redevelopment of the museum much closer.
The museum, which annually welcomes over 30,000 visitors, has not undergone major redevelopment since its creation in the 1970s. Forty years on, and the site, museum displays and visitor facilities are becoming increasingly outdated and in need of improvement.
The planned redevelopment will improve access to the museum and its collections, create a dedicated space for learning, events and community activities, and improve visitor facilities. The museum will continue to tell the rich story of Somerset’s rural and social history.
Deputy Leader of Somerset County Council, David Hall, said: "This is excellent news for Somerset and for Glastonbury, and we are delighted that the Heritage Lottery Fund has chosen to support the project. Somerset Rural Life Museum is greatly valued both by Somerset residents and by visitors to our county.
“Our redevelopment plans will be sympathetic to the existing fabric of the site and will build on what people have told us is important to them about the museum. We want to ensure that the museum keeps its place at the heart of the community, and offers more ways for people to participate.”
Somerset Heritage Service is now moving on to the next phase of the project, which will involve developing detailed plans for the museum’s redevelopment and securing the remaining funding needed for the project to go ahead. A public fundraising campaign will be launched later this autumn which will seek to raise a minimum of £15,000.
Once all funding has been secured, the museum will need to close for 18-24 months while the development works take place. The museum will be putting on events and activities in the community while it is closed to keep people in touch with progress and to involve them in how the museum is being developed.
Nerys Watts, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund South West, said: “The Somerset Rural Life Museum tells a fascinating story and is already a big hit with visitors, attracting thousands a year to the Museum and Glastonbury. Today’s HLF investment will build on this success by revitalising existing displays and exhibitions, creating new learning spaces and vastly improving the visitor facilities. These changes, combined with an exciting programme of educational activities and volunteer opportunities, will bring the museum into the 21st century making it a great place to visit for all.”
A new exhibition will open at the museum in December providing more details about the proposals.