Bailiffgate Museum gives update on planned move to the Northumberland Hall in Alnwick

Earlier this year, Bailiffgate Museum and Gallery was awarded £192,697 development funding by The National Lottery Heritage Fund to begin the move to the Northumberland Hall.

Detailed plans are now being put together in preparation for a further lottery application seeking full funding of £2.5 million.

Museum coordinator Vivien Kay, in a progress update, said: “We have engaged a wide range of people including architects, designers, programme and events managers and people to research local stories. They all love the idea that they are helping us to create a special place in Northumberland Hall in the heart of the Alnwick community.

“We are in what is described as a development stage for the work with Northumberland Hall, which means that we are gathering further information about the building, its current condition, running costs and developing detailed proposals to apply for a full National Lottery grant for what we would do to turn this wonderful building into a creative community and heritage hub.”

She added: “We are also working on a more detailed business plan to sit alongside the early business case we presented to council officers. When this work is complete it will give us what we need to make a bid for funds to develop the work and to present a more detailed and well-costed plan for Northumberland County Council.

"Once the bid is submitted, it will take several months before we know whether our funding bid to the Heritage Fund will succeed in awarding us a grant to make this ambitious community venture a reality.”

The museum, in St Mary’s Church, has grown significantly in reputation over the last decade.

A move to Northumberland Hall will help support community ventures, showcase local creatives, provide meeting space for volunteers and local groups, engage new audiences and grow visitor numbers.

Planning permission for a proposed revamp of the hall were approved in January 2023. Plans include a new main entrance on the north side with glazing to enclose the arched openings at the former fish market.

The museum is currently using the former Tourist Information Centre unit under Northumberland Hall to run community engagement events and to provide a ‘drop-in centre’ for the people of Alnwick to tell their stories.