Brighton Museum & Art Gallery temporary closure
Brighton Museum & Art Gallery will be closed from Monday 5 August until Friday 13 September (inclusive) to allow for vital work to begin restoring the lantern roof that spans the length of the 20th Century Gallery.
Contractors will start the work to repair the roof to bring the Grade II listed building up to 21st century requirements.
A structural survey in 2019 found the building, one of the first purpose-built museums in the UK, needs urgent repairs. The work will be funded by a grant of £1,463,769 by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport via Arts Council England. Brighton & Hove City Council who own the Royal Pavilion which is managed by Brighton & Hove Museums have provided a grant of £500k for the work.
CEO of Brighton & Hove Museums Hedley Swain said:
“We’re sorry the museum will close during this period as we know visitors will be disappointed.
“The work on the roof is essential to protect visitors and staff, our collections and the building. It needs to be carried out at a time when the weather is expected to be dry, to reduce the risk of water damage while the work is being done. The summer months are the best time to conduct this work and will mean the closure time will be shorter.
“We hope visitors will understand the situation and take advantage of one of our other venues such as the Royal Pavilion, Hove Museum of Creativity, Preston Manor or the Booth Museum of Natural History.”
This major building project will enhance the care of the collections housed within the space as well as the visitor experience. The work will improve carbon performance and provide better access to the space for both staff and contractors.
Although the museum is closed completely for a short while, for most of the building project, the majority of Brighton Museum will remain open although two galleries – the 20th Century Gallery and Mr Willett’s Popular Pottery Gallery – will be closed during the work which is scheduled to finish in the summer next year.
Other galleries such as Fashion, World Art, Ancient Egyptian, Archaeology, Fine Art, Prints and Drawings and Queer the Pier will remain accessible as normal via the front entrance and side galleries. Our exciting programme of temporary exhibitions such as the upcoming Wildlife Photographer of the Year opening in September, Brighton & Hove Albion: A First Year in Europe and the popular See the Sea fine art show will continue.
The project involves the replacement of a single glazed rooflight above the C20th gallery with an insulated lead and slate roof. There are additional internal repairs, replacement and redecoration of the laylight, alongside general repair and decoration works. The new roof will provide better ventilation and insulation to improve carbon performance.
Once the repairs are completed, there will be the opportunity to rejuvenate the central gallery space below.
The architects working on the design are Donald Insall Associates.
