180\99 

9 July 1999

CHRIS SMITH ANNOUNCES #2.7 MILLION BOOST FOR 49 OF
ENGLAND'S BEST MUSEUM AND GALLERY COLLECTIONS

Projects to improve and increase access to outstanding museum and 
gallery collections up and down the country have received a #2.7 
million boost, Culture Secretary Chris Smith announced today.

Grants - the first part of a #15 million museums fund for the best 
regional collections - will go to a total of 49 institutions in every
region of England. The museums and galleries, designated by the 
Government for their outstanding collections, are to receive grants 
following recommendations from the Museums and Galleries Commission. 
Projects include:

a new gallery in Portsmouth to display items discovered while 
excavating the Tudor warship The Mary Rose,

new and upgraded displays of Stonehenge material at the Salisbury 
and South Wiltshire Museum,

an on-line database of the collection at the Wordsworth Trust in 
Cumbria to provide a unique educational resource on English 
Romanticism,

the conservation of 500 pairs of historic shoes for new displays 
planned in Northampton, the heart of England's footwear industry.

Announcing the awards, Chris Smith said:

"This is the latest step in the Government's programme to make the 
very best of our heritage accessible to the widest possible audience.
Earlier this year the Government made money available to introduce 
free access for children to our national collections and boosted 
'virtual' access on the Web through support for The 24 Hour Museum. 
Now these grants will give much-needed support to our finest regional
collections for imaginative and innovative projects."

Timothy Mason, Director of the Museums and Galleries Commission,
said:

"These grants are good news for museums and galleries with Designated
collections. Since the inception of the Designation Scheme, the MGC 
has put forward a strong case for new funding for these special 
collections. We are extremely grateful to the Government for this 
#15 million fund and we are delighted that we have been able to 
allocate the first round of grants so quickly.

"All of these projects will enable museums and galleries to reach a 
wider audience and to deliver a genuine benefit to the visitor. We 
look forward to working with these museums and galleries to help them
deliver results of the very highest quality."

Notes to Editors

1. Full details of all 49 grants are attached. For more information
on individual projects, please contact Julie Taylor (Head of Public 
Affairs) or Emma Wright (Press Officer) at the Museums and Galleries 
Commission on 0171 233 4200.

2. The Museums and Galleries Commission (MGC) is the national 
advisory body for museums in the UK. Through its work the MGC aims 
to encourage as many people as possible to visit and enjoy the 
nation's museums and galleries. To find out more about their work, 
visit the website at www.museums.gov.uk. The 24- Hour Museum can be 
found on www.24hourmuseum.org.uk.

3. There are 44 governing bodies with Designated Collections in 52 
museums and services in England.

4. Designation is a scheme designed to focus attention on 
pre-eminent museum collections in England. In addition to the 
prestige associated with the scheme, museums and galleries with 
designated collections now have access to a special Government 
challenge fund of #15 million, which will be administered by the MGC 
over the next three years.


Internet: http://www.culture.gov.uk

Department for Culture, Media and Sport 
2-4 Cockspur Street
London SW1Y 5DH


Designation Challenge Fund - summary of Year 1 applications.

Reference
Name of museum or service
Approximate Year 1 award
Summary of project approved for year 1

1
University of Cambridge, Fitzwilliam Museum
#53,073
First phase of 2 year computer documentation project.

2
University of Cambridge, Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology
#35,000
Collections care and documentation project in External Store.

3
University of Cambridge, Whipple Museum of the History of Science
#35,000
Development support for display and storage project.

4
Courtauld Gallery, London
#50,000
Documentation and storage project and support for strategic project
development.

5
University of Manchester, Manchester Museum
#70,000
Collections management, including group support for Manchester
projects.

6
University of Manchester, Whitworth Art Gallery 
#30,000
Support for documentation leading to collections management projects
in yrs 2-3

7
University of Oxford, Ashmolean Museum
#60,000
Remedial conservation of paintings for display.

8
University of Oxford, Museum of the History of Science
#70,000
Development and Phase 1 work to redisplay 2 major permanent 
galleries.

9
University of Oxford, Museum of Natural History
#32,000
Documentation and website development.

10
University of Oxford, Pitt Rivers Museum
#59,484
Collections documentation and development work for new displays.

11
University of Reading, Rural History Centre
#62,200
Development of collections information on the Internet for general
and schools use.

12
Horniman Museum, London
#100,000
Collections documentation, education projects and 'African Worlds'
catalogue.

13
Museum of London

Encouragement of year 2-3 display and storage project plans.

14
Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester
#40,000
Support for Website and 11 projects

15
Birmingham City Museums and Art Gallery
#67,000
First phase in major programme of collections documentation. 

16
Leeds Museums and Galleries 
#63,319
Cataloguing mollusca collections; interpretation strategy at Temple
Newsam.

17
Manchester City Art Galleries
#35,000
Collections documentation leading to collections management project
for yrs 2-3.

18
Stoke-on-Trent Museums Service 
#103,164
Linked research and documentation projects on Potteries collections.

19
Tyne and Wear Museums (see also Beamish, joint project) 
Commitment in principle to Year 2-3 project to develop large objects
store.

20
York Museum Service
#91,088
Phase 1 of major documentation project.

21
Beamish, the North of England Open Air Museum (see also TWM)
Committee support for Year 2-3 project to develop large objects
store.

22
Bowes Museum
#80,000
Documentation and ICT work; support in developing interpretation
strategy.

23
Devizes Museum
#30,000
Display, signage and security improvements.

24
Dulwich Picture Gallery
#52,000
Remedial conservation of paintings for display.

25
Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust
#30,000
Content creation for public access database of decorative arts
collections.

26
Jewish Museum
#50,000
Documentation, catalogue preparation and collections photography.

27
London Transport Museum
#52,500
Development of multi-media displays, documentation and storage.

28
Mary Rose Trust
#85,220
Preliminary work for development of new Discovery Gallery.

29
National Motor Museum
#25,000
Documentation work and storage survey.

30
National Tramway Museum
#35,000
Curatorial support for project development; documentation work.

31
Wordsworth Trust
#61,072
Development of electronic database of the collections for Internet
access.

32
Museum of British Road Transport, Coventry
#20,000
Development of interpretation strategy leading to Yr 2-3 display
projects.

33
Tank Museum, Bovington Camp
#50,000
Documentation and archive storage work; audience development work.

34
Cheltenham Art Gallery and Museums
#8,060
Documentation project; commissioning craft doors for Arts and Crafts
Gallery.

35
Northampton Museums and Art Gallery
#60,000
Remedial conservation of shoes for display.

36
Norwich Castle Museum
#100,000
Phase 1 of major documentation project.

37
Harewood House
#65,200
Storage, environmental control and security work.

38
Barber Institute of Fine Arts, Birmingham
#77,751
Environmental control developments in store to aid exhibtion
preparation.

39
University College London, Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology
#62,724
Documentation and website development.

40
Colchester Museums
#50,074
Phase 1 of 3 year documentation project.

41
Exeter City Museums and Art Gallery
#107,100
Project to develop new store for World Cultures collections.

42
Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum
#31,500
Development of proposals for new galleries; catalogue production.

43
Royal Engineers Museum, Chatham
#30,000
Interpretation strategy and design plans leading to display
developments.

44
National Museum of Labour History, Manchester
#50,000
Phase 1 of collections management and internet project.

45
University of Cambridge, Sedgwick Museum of Geology
#30,000
Development of interpretation strategy leading to Yr 2-3 display
projects.

46
University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge
#35,000
Feasibility study for visitor facilities development; security work.

47
Southampton City Council Cultural Services
#40,000
Archaeology documentation and storage feasibility project.

48
Weald and Downland Open Air Museum, Chichester
#72,800
Research, documentation and building reconstruction project.

49
Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery
#50,600
Documentation project to provide public access to collection
information.

50
Royal Pavilion, Libraries and Museums (Brighton and Hove) 
#30,000
Options appraisals for major redevelopment of the Booth Museum.

51
Bristol Museums and Art Galleries
#90,000
Research, storage and documentation projects.

52
Waterways Trust
#40,000
Preliminary work to link the documentation systems of the Waterways
Museums.


TOTAL
#2,657,929






# = pounds sterling







%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%