Shrewsbury’s new Museum & Art Gallery opens its doors following ground-breaking restoration
Shrewsbury’s new Museum & Art Gallery at The Music Hall will open its doors to the public on Tuesday 1 April 2014, giving people the chance to see this new showcase of Shropshire’s treasures – and the newly-renovated building – for the first time.
Owned and managed by Shropshire Council, the new Museum & Art Gallery is the result of a ground-breaking restoration project that has cost more than £10m and seen two buildings – Shrewsbury’s Victorian Music Hall and the 13th century Vaughan’s Mansion – renovated and restored to create a vast new museum and spectacular gallery space, together with function rooms suitable for meetings, conferences and even weddings.
What began as a restoration project turned into a rescue operation as the level and complexity of work required to the intricate structure of the historic buildings revealed itself.
Visitors to the new Museum & Art Gallery will go on a journey of discovery starting in the time when mammoths roamed, unlocking stories from across the entire county of Shropshire; stories of discovery and engineering creativity that influenced the world. The entire collection has been reimagined for a modern audience, with exhibitions exploring subjects from geology to natural history via art, archaeology and costume.
The Museum holds some of the nation’s most treasured Roman artefacts, including an ornate silver mirror discovered at nearby Wroxeter, one of only a handful still existing from the period. The Medieval galleries explore the development of castles, abbeys and towns in Shropshire. The Civil War period gallery highlights visits by King Charles I to the county with a grim reminder of his execution.
In the Shropshire Gallery there are many special exhibits including an area about scientist Charles Darwin, who was born and educated in Shrewsbury, as well as his contemporaries such as Henry Blunt, who mapped the moon.
The links between the special geology of Shropshire and its famed ceramics industry see wonderful fossils displayed close to a collection of richly illustrated examples from the Caughley porcelain factory, which was once located near Broseley.
An exhibition from Frank Cohen’s internationally acclaimed collection of contemporary art, specially curated for the launch, will also be on show from 1 April.
Councillor Steve Charmley, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for visitor economy, said:
“I’m delighted that the new Museum & Art Gallery will soon be open to the public so that they can see for themselves the result of our work to restore this unique collection of buildings, as well as the wonderful collection of items that will be on display – many for the first time. We look forward to welcoming visitors from near and far to what will be a real cultural attraction and a real highlight on Shropshire’s tourism map.
“By hosting the Visitor Information Centre the Museum & Art Gallery will also be a point of arrival for visitors to Shrewsbury and Shropshire and will be a real jewel in the Crown for the town and for the county.
“A large number of highly-skilled people have worked incredibly hard over a long period to make the new Museum & Art Gallery a reality. The work has been painstaking and often hard, but the results are stunning and I really do hope people will be impressed with what they see and what we have done.”
Andrew Bannerman, Shropshire Councillor for Quarry and Coton Hill said:
“The whole population of Shrewsbury have been eagerly awaiting the opening of the new Museum and I’m delighted that they will soon have the chance to visit. I hope the Museum will also welcome large numbers of visitors from across the country and from around the world too.”
Alongside its permanent collections, Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery has invited a series of internationally-renowned contemporary artists and interpreters such as Shirley Chubb, Neil Brownsword and Ilana Halperin to curate and interpret the exhibits and create specially commissioned works.
The Frank Cohen exhibition features artworks by national and international artists such as Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin, chosen for the way they resonate with the Museum’s Darwinian theme. Around the building paintings from Shropshire’s huge art collection are on display.
Already much-loved for its rich cultural scene and characterful streets lined with timber-framed Tudor buildings, the new Museum & Art Gallery is a significant investment in Shrewsbury’s tourism facilities. It perfectly complements the adjacent Old Market Hall, possibly the world’s oldest building housing a cinema and the Theatre Severn across the river.
The Museum & Art Gallery is the new location for the town’s Visitor Information Centre and the starting point for walking tours, which will encourage visitors to go out and explore the living history of Shrewsbury and the wider county for themselves.
The ground floor of the Music Hall is home to a new cafe bar as well as a shop.
Admission to the Museum & Art Gallery including the Frank Cohen exhibition is just £4 per adult, £3.50 for senior citizens and £2 per child with reductions for seniors and groups. Entry is free for children aged 0 to 4.
Entry to the Roman and Pre-history exhibition is free.
The project has been funded by Shropshire Council, Heritage Lottery Fund, the Arts Council, the European Regional Development Fund, the Art Fund, the Walker Trust, and the Friends of Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery.
For more information visit www.shrewsburymuseum.org.uk or follow @shrewsmuseum on twitter.
Further information
For more information, please follow this link to view our press pack.
A brief history
The Shrewsbury museum collection has found its home in several different locations in the town throughout the past 200 years. Most recently it was located at Rowley’s House, before the decision was made in 2006 to move over to the site of the old Music Hall and Vaughan’s Mansion. Enabling work began in 2009 and the building’s complexity resulted in the project taking almost five years to complete.
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury boasts some of the Britain’s finest Tudor and Georgian architecture and its timber framed buildings and winding passageways, known locally as ‘shuts’, are a popular quirk, particularly with overseas tourists.
An abundance of independent shops, antique dealers, cafes, bars, restaurants and boutique hotels have seen Shrewsbury drawing in a growing number of visitors each year. In 2013 the town held its first ever Food Festival and each year it holds its famous Flower Show, where over three million blooms fill The Quarry park. Other attractions include Shrewsbury Abbey, Shrewsbury Castle and Regimental Museum, The Old Market Hall Cinema, Theatre Severn and river cruises on the passenger boat, Sabrina.
