£4 million grants for English museums
Ed Vaizey announces funding to help improve 36 museums and galleries through the DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund.
The grants, jointly funded by DCMS and the Wolfson Foundation, include:
- £17,400 to redisplay the work of Enid Marx, one of the most important designers of the 20th Century and creator of the striking geometric designs of 1937 for the upholstery of London Underground
- £140,000 for an extensive renovation and a complete redisplay of The Manchester Museum’s historic Birds & Insects gallery
- £100,000 for a new gallery at the London Transport Museum that will showcase some of the 5000 printed posters and nearly 1000 original artworks which form a uniquely comprehensive record of a century of British graphic design
- £150,000 towards a new permanent display of some of the most important collections of Baroque art, furniture, state beds and wall paintings in the country at Hampton Court Palace
- £50,000 towards the reconstruction of a labourer’s cottage Weald and Downland Open Air Museum
For more details of individual awards and locations see our Flickr map
Secrets of the royal bedchamber video
Fascinating collections from across the country
“We are incredibly fortunate to have so many rich and fascinating collections, many of which have been improved, enhanced and made more accessible by the continuing generosity of the Wolfson Foundation,” said Mr Vaizey.
Chief Executive of the Wolfson Foundation Paul Ramsbottom said: “We are delighted to be working in such a productive and exciting partnership with government. The quality of projects funded demonstrates once again the sheer range and richness of the country’s heritage collections. Each project will help to improve the experience of visitors.”
Today’s announcement follows on from the Spending Review which stated that the DCMS and the Wolfson Foundation would each provide a further £4 million to enable the Fund to hold two bidding rounds in the 2011-15 spending period, each one awarding £4 million. This is the first of these two rounds, the second bidding round will be held in 2013-14.