The Historic Dockyard Chatham - National Museums at Chatham
Project Forges Ahead
The creation of a new centre for world-class
collections at The Historic Dockyard Chatham – National
Museums at Chatham – is now set to forge ahead following
the release of funds totalling £7m from the Heritage
Lottery Fund (HLF) and the South East England
Development Agency (SEEDA).
Confirmation of the £4.97m from HLF together with the
pledged support of £2.0m by SEEDA follows the agreement
announced last September and enables the Trust to
commence work on the project.
National Museums at Chatham is an unprecedented
partnership between Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust and
two national museums - the Imperial War Museum and the
National Maritime Museum – which has already attracted
the patronage of HRH The Prince of Wales. The new
facility will hugely improve public access to
internationally pre-eminent museum collections of
maritime models with enhanced facilities for research
and education as well as interpreting these and other
collections in dynamic and thematic displays. It will
provide a sustainable re-use for the early 19th Century
No. 1 Smithery at The Historic Dockyard Chatham, a
Scheduled Ancient Monument and Grade II* listed
building.
The touring gallery will provide a much needed regional
venue for world-class touring exhibitions from many
sources, with the widest themes. It will provide a
unique and much needed cultural facility in South-East
England outside of London and will significantly
strengthen opportunities for access and learning.
The announcement comes as the Emergency Stabilisation
Works (ESW), a separate project funded by Medway
Council, the Department for Communities and Local
Government (DCLG) and English Heritage, draws to a
close. Structural repairs to the historic fabric are now
complete and the reinstatement of the roof covering
symbolises the completion of work to save the building
for future generations. Securing the re-use of No. 1
Smithery for National Museums at Chatham will transform
the cultural landscape of Medway and Thames Gateway Kent
and complete the physical regeneration of the Dockyard.
Sheena Vick, Heritage Lottery Fund Regional Manager for
the South East of England, said: "It's now all systems
go for Number 1 Smithery's plans thanks to this
substantial Heritage Lottery Fund investment. The
Historic Dockyard Chatham already attracts thousands of
visitors every year but this final piece of the jigsaw
will enable it to realise its full vision for the site.
This grant brings our overall support for the UK's
maritime heritage to more than £70million, demonstrating
our ongoing commitment to sharing the nation's
fascinating seafaring history with as many people as
possible."
Jonathan Sadler, Project Director, SEEDA said: “National
Museums at Chatham will be a catalyst for cultural and
economic regeneration in Medway and the Thames Gateway,
adding immense value and national museum brand values to
the tourism offer and attracting local, regional and
national audiences to The Historic Dockyard, located at
the heart of the Thames Gateway regeneration area.”
Learning is at the heart of all that happens at The
Historic Dockyard and National Museums at Chatham will
add huge capacity and diversity to the existing
education offer. The new centre will add an exciting new
dimension to The Historic Dockyard attractions by
brining important national collections to Medway and the
Thames Gateway to provide a focus for formal and
informal access and learning opportunities for people of
all ages and backgrounds.
Admiral Sir Ian Garnett, Chairman of Chatham Historic
Dockyard Trust was jubilant on hearing the announcement
and said “The confirmation that HLF and SEEDA have
confirmed their grant and are releasing the funds is
wonderful news. It allows us to really move forward with
the detailed designs for the project. A funding gap of
£3.3m does still remain to meet the £14m total costs of
making National Museums at Chatham a reality. A strong
fundraising strategy is in place, strongly supported by
our national museum partners, and the confirmation by
HLF and SEEDA of their funding allows us to start our
campaign to raise this £3.3m in earnest.”
Sir Robert Crawford, Director-General of the Imperial
War Museum said “We are delighted with the successful
culmination of five years of intensive work with our
project partners, The Historic Dockyard Chatham and the
National Maritime Museum. This project demonstrates how
national and regional museums can work in innovative
ways with communities to transform access to major
collections and learning facilities. It will be a major
achievement to have transformed an almost ruinous
historic building into an urgently needed, major new
museum facility in the heart of the rapidly growing
Thames Gateway area. We look forward to working with our
partners in delivering this major new facility in the
heart of historic Chatham."
Margarette Lincoln, Acting Director, National Maritime
Museum said; “The National Maritime Museum is thrilled
that the HLF has confirmed funding for this innovative
partnership project which will deliver national
collections to regional audiences. The new galleries and
learning facilities will enhance public access to
important collections. The project will play an
important part in creating a cultural heart for Medway
and The Thames Gateway region, and the future of a
significant historic building will be assured. Access to
collections is key to the ethos of all museums. Through
this imaginative partnership, generations of visitors,
users and researchers will be able to appreciate
internationally significant collections of maritime
models and related material for the first time. We look
forward to working with our partners to deliver this
exciting project in 2010”.
The opening in 2010 will provide a key focus for the
Cultural Olympiad and coincide with plans to inaugurate
The Historic Dockyard and its surrounding defences as a
World Heritage Site the same year.
Email:
amorse@chdt.org.uk
Arundel Jones Associates Ltd
Hill Farm, Linton Hill, Maidstone, Kent ME17 4AL
Tel : 01622 745333
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News Categories : National historic museum
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