The Powell-Cotton Museum has been awarded a grant of £1.1 million from the Department for
Culture, Media and Sport MEND fund, which is administered by Arts Council England. This
funding will be utilised to replace the roof and address maintenance backlogs within the
museum. This significant investment will ensure the preservation and upkeep of the museum’s
historical artifacts for future generations to enjoy.
The conditions inside of the museum are not suitable for long term storage of collections due
to constant leaks and water intrusion. Since 2021, the museum team has struggled with a
collections care crisis. Part of the stored collections have been moved to an alternative storage
at high cost. The roof has been patch-repaired for many years, but it is clear the roof has
reached the end of its useful life and needs to be replaced. Visitors will have seen taxidermy
specimens wearing plastic sheets as ‘raincoats’ and items removed from display in order to
protect them.
All efforts will be made to keep the museum as open to the public as possible throughout these
works, however, this will be dependent on variables outside of the museum’s control.
Therefore, the museum will continue to share information about this project through its
website, social channels, local print publications and news outlets as the works progress. The
museum does not anticipate any access problems to Quex House and Gardens and we will
continue to operate our visitor experience as normally as possible.
Nigel Lewis, CEO, Powell-Cotton Museum says:
“This grant will allow us to replace the old leaking roof on the museum building which will
protect and preserve the collection for decades to come. Whilst there will be some disruption
during the works this year and next year, we will endeavour to ensure as much of the museum
remains open and that our visitors continue to have a great experience. We are so grateful and
excited to receive this funding from Arts Council England.”
Clare Valentine, Chair of Trustees, Powell-Cotton Trust says:
“This grant from Arts Council England is so significant and transformational for the Powell Cotton Museum. For years we have struggled to halt the water ingress into the building which
creates damp and wet conditions, damaging the artifacts and displays due to the water,
associated damp and mould. Replacing the complete museum roof will dramatically improve
the conditions within the museum and allow us to repair the internal damaged caused by the
leaks and in so doing improve the visitor experience.”
The Museum would like to thank the project team including MacConvilles Chartered Surveyors,
Lee Evans Partnership Architects and Caroline Taylor Consulting for their hard work and
expertise in preparing the design of this project.
Works are scheduled to begin on site during the summer of 2024, with a winter break before
continuing into Spring 2025. These repairs will ensure the long-term future of the museum
building as a suitable location to house unique collections which hold huge value to
communities located both near and far from the museum.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport funds MEND which is administered by Arts
Council England.
ENDS
