Great North Museum: Hancock to open in May
The £26 million Heritage Lottery Fund-backed museum, which has taken three years to complete, incorporates collections from the Hancock Museum and the University’s Museum of Antiquities, Shefton Museum and Hatton Gallery. It brings together the North East’s premier collections of archaeology, natural history and geology to create one of the most internationally-significant and diverse collections in the country.
The Great North Museum: Hancock is part of a wider Great North Museum project involving the redevelopment of the magnificent Victorian Hancock Museum building, the management of the Hatton Gallery, and the development of an off-site store and resource centre. The project has been led by Newcastle University in partnership with Tyne and Wear Museums, Newcastle City Council, the Natural History Society of Northumbria and the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne.
The Great North Museum has been made possible by £8.75 million in funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), in addition to generous donations from a wide range of supporters including the European Regional Development Fund, One North East, Newcastle University, Newcastle City Council, TyneWear Partnership, Northern Rock Foundation, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Garfield Weston Foundation, Clore Duffield Foundation and the DCMS/Wolfson Foundation Museums & Galleries Improvement Fund.
Professor Paul Younger, Newcastle University Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Engagement and Chair of the Great North Museum Board, said:“The natural history and archaeological collections which have now been brought together in the Great North Museum: Hancock are the fruit of over 200 years of world-wide endeavour by North East collectors. Thorough documentation of these collections in comprehensive archives gives them great intellectual value.
“As well as a stunning addition to Newcastle’s growing array of iconic cultural centres, we now have a world-class resource that will support academic study for generations to come,” he said.
Steve McLean, Great North Museum project manager, added: “The former Hancock Museum building has undergone a fantastic transformation. The new Great North Museum charts the formation of the galaxy and planet Earth, and 500 million years of evolution. Breathtaking displays of world-class treasures bring this amazing history to life.”
Ivor Crowther, head of the Heritage Lottery Fund in the North East, said: “The new Great North Museum, with an investment of nearly £9 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund, is now ready to welcome a whole new generation of users and visitors. It will provide an invaluable resource to the people of the North East and beyond, and is a real boost to museum provision in the region.”
The Great North Museum: Hancock will feature excellent new cafes and other visitor facilities, with temporary exhibition space capable of housing some of the largest touring exhibitions. A comprehensive library will house one of the UK’s most important collections of works on natural history and archaeology. Admission to the museum will be free.
Web links to further information:
published on: 19th March 2009