New Galleries Planned for Leicester’s Flagship Museum Expansion
Leicester Museum and Art Gallery may soon welcome three new galleries to enhance visitor experience and showcase the city’s rich history
Leicester, UK, Museum, Art Gallery, Heritage, Climate Change
Leicester: Exciting news for the city! Plans are in the works to add three new galleries to the Leicester Museum and Art Gallery. Two of these will be part of the Story of Leicester project, which aims to highlight the city’s rich history through heritage panels.
The new galleries will serve as a great starting point for visitors to dive into 2,000 years of Leicester’s past. They’ll also guide folks to other attractions in the city. The exact details are still being worked out, and the council wants local residents to help shape what these galleries will look like.
The third gallery will focus on the environment, covering topics like natural history and climate change. It’s exciting because some animals that have been in storage since the old Wild Space gallery closed will be making a comeback!
Recently, Leicester City Council secured over £411,000 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to kick off these plans. Once they finalize the proposals, they’ll seek more funding to make it all happen, potentially over £5 million!
This project is part of a larger redevelopment effort for the museum. They just started work on the fourth phase, which includes new art galleries, a shop, and a café. Some council members are skeptical about the spending, especially given the council’s financial struggles, calling it a “vanity project.”
But city mayor Sir Peter Soulsby defended the investment, saying the museum is a gem that deserves ongoing support. The new café will be accessible to everyone, not just museum-goers, making it a nice spot for anyone passing by.
Assistant city mayor for culture, Vi Dempster, emphasized the importance of modernizing the museum to keep it relevant. She mentioned that the initial funding is just the beginning, allowing them to create galleries that reflect Leicester’s history and environmental issues.
Robyn Llewellyn from the National Lottery Heritage Fund expressed excitement about supporting these ambitious plans, highlighting the opportunity to engage the community with heritage and spark meaningful discussions.