Craven Museum gets £1.5million boost

Craven Museum gets £1.5million boost

Designs for the new museum
Designs for the new museum
The historic Yorkshire Dales town of Skipton will be breathing new life into its local museum, thanks to an award of more than £1.5million.

The HLF grant, made possible by National Lottery players, means Craven Museum and Exhibition Gallery in Skipton Town Hall can be completely redesigned. This will create 21st-century display space, improved storage and research facilities.

Stories & Treasures of Street and Dale

Stories & Treasures of Street and Dale is a three-year project including:

  • events
  • an education programme
  • essential conservation work
  • cataloguing and digitisation so that visitors will be able to access the museum collection online for the first time

There will be plenty of opportunities for volunteers and the local community to get involved in the ongoing work of the museum and to acquire new skills in the process.

[quote=Councillor Simon Myers]"We’re absolutely delighted to have been offered this support thanks to National Lottery players."[/quote]

The museum re-design forms the third phase of a major project to redevelop the Grade II listed Skipton Town Hall as a cultural hub for Craven district.

A group of local collectors founded the museum in 1928 and their fascinating store of historical artefacts was moved into a purpose-built extension to the town hall in the 1970s.

Redesigning a hidden gem in Skipton

Described as a ‘hidden gem’ in the market town of Skipton, the museum tells the local area's story through the ages.

A jewel in its collection is a copy of Shakespeare’s First Folio, one of only four on permanent display in the world. The others are in the bard’s birthplace, Stratford upon Avon; the British Library; and Washington DC.

Commenting on the HLF award, Councillor Simon Myers said: “We’re absolutely delighted to have been offered this support thanks to National Lottery players.

"Our plans for the redevelopment of Craven Museum and the historic Town Hall in which it resides will not only enable more of our community and visitors to access the Museum collections, but will include signposting back out across the district to all of the other fantastic heritage attractions and sites of interest, providing a true cultural hub for Craven.”

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