Tullie museum announces plans for full reopening

Tullie museum and art gallery in Carlisle will reopen in full this spring after a 13-month renovation. 

The museum temporarily closed on Christmas Eve 2023 to undergo a redevelopment project led by De Matos Ryan architects, the firm that recently helped to transform the Young V&A. 

The museum partially reopened last November but the full opening will allow the public to access the newly renovated spaces for the first time. 

New features include a redeveloped entrance with a cafe, shop and events space, as well as a new exhibition space on the ground floor named the Carlisle Gallery. This space has been designed to showcase the rich and diverse history of Carlisle, focusing on local stories and exploring themes such as wild, industrial and revolutionary. 

The Wild Carlisle section of the gallery will feature Faunus, a new work by Brampton-based artist Nicole Bishop. 

The commissioned work features a Fallow deer and drew inspiration from the records of the museum’s Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre. 

A 16th century record noted that a herd of Fallow deer once inhabited a now non-existent forest south of the city. 

Other artworks and objects in the space have been chosen to highlight how the city’s wildlife has changed over millions of years. 

In the new entrance area, a large-scale sculpture of ceramic mushrooms (Hold Fast, Stand Sure, I scream a revolution by Serena Korda) has also been installed. 

As part of the scheme, Cumberland Council transferred a handful of abandoned properties on local Castle Street to Tullie in order to provide new spaces for the museum’s community programme. 

Following the refurbishment, Tullie’s Grade I listed Gatehouse building has also been removed from the Heritage at Risk register. 

The redevelopment is the second phase of a three-phase improvement project. 

The first phase saw the opening of the Costume Collection in July 2021. The museum has revealed that the next phase will modernise the first floor gallery spaces and create new learning facilities. The museum recently received a £4.4m grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund towards this final phase.

Emmie Kell, director of museums and cultural property at Arts Council England, which helped to fund the renovation, welcomed the scheme’s completion. 

She said: “We’re delighted to see the unveiling of the new entrance and additional exhibition space at Tullie House. It’s fantastic that the local community and visitors to the area will be able to enjoy finding out about the city’s cultural history through the museum’s collections in the new Carlisle Gallery.”

Cumberland councillor Anne Quilter said: “Carlisle is being transformed by a series of projects that will support the economy and strengthen the city as our regional capital. Tullie is one of our main attractions and their exciting plans will provide a boost to our cultural offer.”

Update
15.01.2025

This article has been updated following a change in the reopening date.