The Ashmolean is the earliest museum in the UK, founded in 1683, and housed at its current location since 1845. But previous extensions to the Cockerell building were no longer fit for purpose. This project involved the demolition of earlier extensions, to make way for a fully publicly-accessible and environmentally-controlled new gallery space. The new building also enabled the re-presentation of the Museum’s internationally-important archaeological and Eastern arts collections.

The project – which was supplemented by a comprehensive fundraising campaign – was complemented by additional staff resources for the delivery of education and audience development programmes.