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Mend supports 26 museum infrastructure projects in latest funding round
Dinosaur Isle museum on Isle of Wight and Discovery Museum in Newcastle among recipients
Twenty-six projects across England will share £22.6m in the third round of funding from the UK Government’s Museum Estate and Development fund.
Launched in 2019, the fund supports Accredited museums in England to deliver a better experience for visitors and staff; make access and environmental improvements; unlock income-generating opportunities; and protect buildings and collections.
The Dinosaur Isle museum on the Isle of Wight has been awarded £498,000 towards essential repairs. The museum, which opened in 2001, is home to more than 35,000 fossil specimens.
Museum curator and general manager, Martin Munt, said: "The staff at the museum are excited that we have received this vital funding, which will help ensure the long-term care of our island’s fabulous fossil heritage."
The Discovery Museum in Newcastle was awarded the largest grant in this round, receiving just over £3m for repair and refurbishment works.
Grants of more than £2m went to Chatham Historic Dockyard in Kent and the Almonry Museum and Tourist Information Centre in Evesham.
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The latest round of Mend funding brings the total amount of investment so far to more than £62m for 93 museums. The stream is part of the wider Cultural Investment Fund, which also includes libraries.
The fourth round of Mend funding, worth £23.8m, was announced in February with a deadline of 18 April 2024 for expressions of interest.
Recipients in the latest round
| Chatham Historic Dockyard | Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust | £2,318,400 |
| The Almonry Museum and Tourist Information Centre, Evesham | Almonry Restoration Project | £2,173,500 |
| Uppark House and Garden, West Sussex | Essential Uppark | £1,967,470 |
| Spalding Gentlemen's Society | Important Enlightenment Collection at Risk from Building failure | £1,845,335 |
| Bramall Hall, Stockport | Bramall Hall Roof Restoration | £1,674,877 |
| Powell-Cotton Museum, Kent | Urgent & Critical Roof Repairs | £1,138,152 |
| Leach Pottery, St Ives, Cornwall | Leach Pottery: the next 100 years | £715,000 |
| Green's Mill Science Centre, Nottingham | Green's Windmill Programme of Urgent Repairs | £685,104 |
| Bury Art Museum & Sculpture Centre | Bury Art Museum Roof Project | £589,545 |
| Millennium Gallery, Sheffield | Millennium Gallery, Sheffield | £577,858 |
| Jarrow Hall, Anglo-Saxon Farm, Village and Bede Museum, South Tyneside | Jarrow Hall, Anglo-Saxon Farm, Village and Bede Museum | £513,890 |
| National Maritime Museum Cornwall | Building Works to address water ingress | £499,000 |
| Killhope Museum, Bishop Auckland | Industrial Heritage Rescue | £498,280 |
| Dinosaur Isle, Isle of Wight | Dinosaur Isle MEND 3 | £498,000 |
| Heugh Battery Museum, Hartlepool | Essential Repairs to Heugh Gun Battery | £497,534 |
| Lyn and Exmoor Museum, Devon | Refurbish Lyn and Exmoor Museum | £459,052 |
| William Morris Gallery, Walthamstow, London | William Morris Gallery – Improving Our Environment | £417,990 |
| Kiplin Hall, North Yorkshire | Emergency Roofing Repairs | £411,065 |
| Bexhill Museum | Building resilience: Foundations for the future of Bexhill Museum | £390,389 |
| Ipswich Museum | Ipswich Museum Roof Repairs | £376,850 |
| Museum of Bath Architecture | Huntingdon Chapel Rescue and Revival | £320,746 |
| Catalyst Science Discovery Centre and Museum, Widnes | Urgent Infrastructure Improvements - Roof and Rendering | £312,499 |
| Gallery Oldham | Gallery Oldham Resilience Refresh | £287,375 |
| Yorkshire Sculpture Park | YSP The Cut Bridge | £251,058 |
| The Coffin Works Museum, Birmingham | Addressing the backlog: Future-proofing the Coffin Works | £101,989 |