Radical plans to breathe new life into a 17th century museum in Abingdon go on public display today. These plans will include replacing all the windows with double glazing.

It is hoped the £3.5m refurbishment of the Abingdon County Hall Museum, in Market Place, will boost visitor numbers by 50 per cent – from 20,000 to 30,000 a year.

At the heart of the plans, which have taken three years to put together, is the installation of a lift to take visitors from the basement to the main exhibition hall, known as the Sessions Hall.

In addition, the basement, which is currently closed most of the year, will be refurbished and fitted with a café and education centre, while the museum’s display space will be trebled in size and the second floor attic, which currently stores valuable artefacts, will be opened up to the public.

The money will also be spent on new computers, virtual tours and interactive displays, and the Victorian toilets will be brought up to date, with provision for disabled people.

Curator Lauren Gilmour said: “We’re all tremendously excited about showing off these plans. They have taken three years to draw up and are the culmination of lots of hard work.”

“As a curator, being able to reveal artefacts which at the moment are just sitting in boxes is incredible. The refurbishment will offer us the possibility to put these artefacts on display.”

“Currently we cannot display some of our best items because of things such as the building’s temperatures or light levels, which will damage them – but this will change all that. The double glazing windows are a step forward as they will improve the museums insulation which will help keep the building’s light and temperature levels constant throughout the year.”

The project has been given a grant of almost £2m by the Heritage Lottery Fund, with the remainder raised by trusts and foundations. The funds raised will contribute towards paying for the materials used to carry out the refurbishment such as the double glazing.

Money has also been pledged by Vale of White Horse District Council and Oxfordshire County Council.
English Heritage has approved the plans, although it altered the original design – which had the lift going up to the second-floor attic – so more exhibition space would be accessible.

An idea to put non-reflective glass in the arches of the musuem’s exterior was also dropped.
It is hoped work will begin in September next year and be completed by December 2011 – ready for the Queen’s diamond jubilee celebrations.
 

Author:  Luke Tompson

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