A BRADFORD museum is set to shut for a year as it undergoes a radical transformation as part of a £6 million project.
The National Science and Media Museum will have a ‘once-in-a-generation’ makeover ahead of Bradford City of Culture in 2025.
Huge changes, to be completed by December 2024, including two new galleries, a new passenger lift and improvements to the main entrance, will be funded through a £6m capital project called ‘Sound and Vision’.
The development will involve the complete remodelling of two floors of the building, opening up unused spaces and reimagining the display and interpretation of the core collections.
The museum will be closed from June 2023 to summer 2024 for the work to be carried out.
In addition to the new galleries, the project will see the ground floor of the museum reconfigured, creating a new public space and an enhanced visitor welcome.
The installation of an additional passenger lift and the renovation of the existing lift will increase accessibility and enable all visitors to move around the building with ease.
The galleries, accompanied by an engaging activity programme, will showcase key objects and stories from the museum’s world-class collections of photography, film, television, animation, video games and sound technologies.
The ambitious project has been awarded initial funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and has also been supported by the DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund 2022-24 and Bradford Council.
But during the closure later this year, Pictureville Cinema and Bar will continue to operate, open seven days a week with an enhanced programme, as this has separate entrance arrangements and facilities.
Development of the new galleries will transform the heart of the museum, updating core collections displays to increase their relevance to local communities and deliver fully on the Science Museum Group’s mission to inspire futures and ambition to be open for all.
Jo Quinton-Tulloch, the museum’s director, said: “This major investment in the museum will radically transform our visitor offer both in terms of content and accessibility.
“In the new galleries, visitors will be able to find stories that resonate with them, showing how all areas of our collections – from photography to gaming – are embedded in every aspect of our lives, and inspiring the next generation of creatives, inventors and scientists.
“During the period of museum closure, we look forward to welcoming cinema visitors and working with local residents to curate the new galleries.
“With the additional lift and revamped foyer, we will be able to welcome many more visitors, which will be vital as we approach Bradford’s year as City of Culture in 2025.
“The new permanent displays on levels three and five and the enhanced public space in our new foyer will futureproof Bradford’s national museum for decades to come.”
During the temporary closure period, a range of outreach activities with community groups and schools– in person and online – will enable people to stay in touch and track progress.
Anne Jenkins, executive director of Business Delivery at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “We are delighted to be supporting the National Science and Media Museum to develop their ambitious plans to transform their site and make this national and local treasure one of the star attractions for City of Culture 2025.
“In addition, the museum’s commitment to community engagement and skills development ensures that the Sound and Vision Project will have a lasting and meaningful impact.”
The existing displays on levels three and five of the museum will gradually be removed from the beginning of February, so visitors are invited to come and say a temporary farewell to their favourite objects in the coming weeks.
Wonderlab, the Kodak Gallery, Games Lounge and temporary exhibition space will remain open until the summer, with a public programme culminating in Bradford Science Festival, held between May 24 and June 4.
The museum, which was initially named the National Museum of Photography, Film & Television, opened in 1983 and was saved from closure following a Telegraph & Argus-led campaign in 2013.
The campaign, which attracted more than 45,000 signatures, was praised by then Bradford Council chief executive Tony Reeves for the ‘phenomenal response’ it received.
The Stop the Cut campaign attracted names such as Hollywood producer Martin Scorsese, Monty Python stars Michael Palin and Terry Jones, Bradford-born artist David Hockney and actor John Hurt.
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