Past Forward
Past Forward: Salisbury Museum for Future Generations
Past Forward continues the journey of development at the museum, after the creation of the Wessex Gallery in 2014. The redevelopment of the museum is critical for people’s enjoyment and understanding of the city’s great stories and for the long-term protection of the King’s House and the museum. New galleries and event spaces, and restoration of the fabric of our wonderful building, together with an entirely new programme of engagement opportunities for local people, will create a museum of consistently high quality. These improvements are vital to the museum’s ability to increase visitor numbers, recruit more and a wider range of volunteers, and to generate the revenue it needs to thrive.
Latest News The process of creating these new spaces will begin on 11-12 March 2023 with the closure of the cafe and our fashion, Salisbury history and ceramics galleries. The rest of the museum will remain open. The museum has appointed local building firm Mealing who will be on site for the remainder of the year undertaking the architectural works and conservation of the King's House.
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NEW DEVELOPMENTS
Devenish Bradshaw Salisbury Gallery
Spanning three of the museum’s principal ground floor spaces, this new gallery will tell Salisbury’s story from 1220 to the present.
Ceramics Gallery
The gallery in the King’s Room will be refurbished and our collection used to tell a ‘potted history’ of ceramics in Britain.
Natural History Gallery
The museum’s collection of natural history, currently in long-term storage, will be displayed to explore issues of bio-diversity and climate change.
Learning Space
A hub for learning at the museum and for activities ranging from object handling to craft workshops. Find our more about our current learning programme.
Event Space
A reconfigured first floor gallery will become a superb venue for lectures, courses and community meetings.
Restoring the Building
We will address the most urgent building conservation issues at the King’s House.
See this film on YouTube about the project
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ACTIVITIES FOR ALL
Past Forward is also about exploring new ways of involving the community in the museum, through learning programmes and thematic activities such as storytelling, reminiscence and oral history collection, as well as expanding existing programmes to meet the needs of particular groups, including the elderly and those with learning difficulties.
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KEY DATES
Autumn 2021
National Lottery Heritage Fund awarded grant of £3.2 million
2022
Detailed design
Spring 2023
Work starts on site
May 2024
New galleries open
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MAKING IT HAPPEN
We are delighted to have been awarded £3.2 million from the National Lottery Heritage Fund in September 2021. In addition an uplift grant of £572,500 was awarded due to inflation in November 2022. Alongside this the museum is grateful to the many individuals, trusts and foundations who have contributed towards the £1.2 million needed in match funding. This includes the Devenish Bradshaw family, Garfield Weston Foundation, Headley Trust, Foyle Foundation, Wolfson Foundation, Linbury Trust and the Charles Hayward Foundation.
£5m Project cost
£3.8m NLHF grants
£1.1m Donations and pledges received to date
£100k Remainder to be raised
The outcomes that the project promises to deliver are important and much needed, particularly as the museum seeks to play an active role in Salisbury’s recovery from recent events.
You can donate to Past Forward online with JustGiving by clicking on the button below. Alternatively, you can download the donation form and return it to Salisbury Museum.
For more information about the project or if you experience any issues donating through JustGiving, please email the project team museum@salisburymuseum.org.uk
