The Peace Museum in Bradford has received a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant of £245,651 for an exciting heritage project, IMAGINE: Creating The Peace Museum of the Future. Made possible by money raised by National Lottery players, the project will create brand new public exhibition and engagement spaces at Salts Mill in Saltaire, with the museum aiming to reopen to the public in summer 2024.
Supported through The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the project will focus on creating engaging and accessible exhibitions, and developing a dedicated learning space in its new home. Opening these new premises will create many more opportunities for visitors, researchers, and community groups to explore the diverse range of stories told by the museum’s collection.
Celebrating its 25th birthday this year, The Peace Museum is the only museum in the UK dedicated to peace, and holds a unique collection of international importance. With Salts Mill being a key Bradford landmark and located in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Saltaire, The museum’s team is confident that moving to this venue will allow a larger number of people to freely access peace history for the foreseeable future.
A new era for museum
Commenting on the award, Clive Barrett, Chair of Trustees at The Peace Museum, said:
“This project will be transformational for The Peace Museum. We’re delighted to have received this support thanks to National Lottery players, and so excited to have the opportunity to make the history of peace accessible to everybody. This is particularly exciting in light of Bradford receiving City of Culture for 2025, as we’ll be able to welcome visitors from all over the world to our brand-new museum in the heart of the district.”
Helen Featherstone, Director, England, North at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, added:
“It is fantastic news that thanks to National Lottery players we are able to support this important move for The Peace Museum through our Dynamic Collections programme. By opening their amazing collections in a new home that is renowned for its heritage, local people and visitors from further afield can learn more about the fascinating social history that the museum explores.
We know that heritage can play a huge role in bringing people together and creating a sense of pride in local communities, and in turn boosting the local economy, and this work by The Peace Museum is sure to be a perfect example of that.”
Zoe Silver, of Salts Mill, explained:
“We’re really looking forward to welcoming The Peace Museum to Salts Mill. This beautiful, historic building is full of culture and commerce with art, books, food, independent retail and many businesses from world-leading technological innovators to craftspeople creating handmade objects. The unique collections of The Peace Museum will bring something new and very special to this extraordinary place.”
Shanaz Gulzar, Creative Director of Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture, added:
“It’s a joy to see Bradford’s cultural sector preparing for our landmark year as UK City of Culture. Bradford is a city of peace and we’re so excited that The Peace Museum is opening again, increasing access to their incredible collection. This is a huge opportunity to celebrate and share our district’s diverse history of social reform – with our communities and with visitors from around the world, in the year 2025 and beyond.”
