Bringing the WOW Factor to Warrington Museum
Warrington Museum has the WOW Factor!
Warrington Museum has now proudly unveiled the results of a refurbishment scheme which has updated some of the building’s most historic galleries and also to put more of the collections on show for the people of Warrington to enjoy. The Museum has long been a popular attraction within the cultural quarter but several of the galleries were in need of a face lift for the 21st Century.
The quarter of a million pound scheme called Bringing the WOW Factor to Warrington Museum was funded by the WREN Communities Challenge Fund. WREN is a not for profit business that awards grants to community, environmental and heritage projects across the UK from funds donated by Waste Recycling Group (WRG) to the Landfill Communities Fund.
It’s been a busy eighteen months! Contractors have replaced skylights and installed new lighting to protect delicate objects; cases have been renovated and galleries decorated. Meanwhile Museum staff have had to keep track of hundreds of objects whilst they have been packed and unpacked; cleaned, catalogued and installed in new displays. It’s been like moving house on a giant scale without losing track of the kettle!
The outcome has been to create galleries which celebrate the town’s diverse cultural heritage by creating:-
- Two new galleries which create A Window on Warrington telling the unique story of how our town has developed through the centuries and celebrating the contribution of generations of Warringtonians.New exhibits include the story of Warrington’s Charge of the Light Brigade heroes; the fascinating story of Warrington’s Titanic as well as the story of ordinary people’s daily & working lives.
- A Window on the World by telling the story of world cultures from the significant collections which have been collected for the people of Warrington to enjoy. The structural work has allowed many more of these fascinating items to go on show after conservation to be conserved. There has been a family reunion with the third part of the Egyptian mummy case returned from loan to Manchester Museum. Items from the Museum’s award winning exhibition William Smithies and the Lost Tombs of Peru will be on show with a welcome return for some of the popular oriental ceramic collection.
- The Fish Gallery has been restored and enhanced in response to popular demand
- A new Wren Gallery for Contemporary Art and Crafts has also been created at the heart of the Museum with the support of the Warrington Arts Trust. This provides a much needed space to showcase the work of local artists.
Over the coming months the new galleries will become the focus for family friendly activities and a resource for local schools and community groups and should be a source of pride for the town.