Brighton Museum is to close for more than five weeks this summer for essential roof repairs.
The museum and art gallery will close to the public from Monday 5 August until Thursday 12 September. Contractors will start the work to repair the 220-year-old 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.
CEO of Brighton and 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.”
The work will be funded by a grant of £1,463,769 by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport via Arts Council England.
Brighton and Hove City Council, which owns the Royal Pavilion, have provided a grant of £500,000 for the work.
The work will improve carbon performance and provide better access to the space for both staff and contractors.
Preparation work will start for the restoration of the two Georgian glass lanterns which span the building, like a glass skylight, above the central main gallery.
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 and Hove Albion: A First Year in Europe and the popular See the Sea fine art show will continue.
Work will include replicating the original Georgian lighting scheme which made use of light wells and sun pipes which will mean the whole gallery will be lit by daylight reducing energy costs.
Upgrades and repairs to the two large, glazed roof roofs will include improved ventilation and insulation to improve carbon performance. The internal walkway between the glazed lanterns will be renewed for better access for ongoing maintenance and to make this much safer for staff and contractors who access this space.
Once the lantern repairs are completed, there will be the opportunity to rejuvenate the central gallery space below.
Work will begin by moving collections to protect them and enable the building of a complex internal crash deck. A crash or protection deck is a bespoke scaffolding structure or system that creates safe working conditions.
The architects working on the design are Donald Insall Associates.
You can follow the progress of the roof project on the museum’s website here.
Mr Swain said: “Brighton Museum & Art Gallery is an important historic building, part of the Royal Pavilion estate. It’s so important that buildings like this are maintained for the benefit of current and future generations.
“Visitors to the museum will be able to appreciate our artworks and exhibitions knowing the building is more sustainable, energy-efficient with better lighting and ventilation.
“We are so grateful to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and Arts Council England for this important award from the Cultural Investment Funds, including Museum Estate and Development Fund (MEND) and Brighton and Hove City Council to whom we are also deeply grateful.”
Donna Chisholm, Corporate Director City Services said: “Repairs to the Brighton Museum and Art Gallery roof are vital for the ongoing maintenance of this historic Grade II listed building.
“The museum is an integral part of our culture and heritage offer in the city, with thousands of school children, residents and visitors enjoying the collections and exhibitions each year.
“The council is pleased to be working in partnership with Brighton & Hove Museums on this project and to provide matched funding for this much needed work.
“We thank our funding partner Arts Council England for the opportunity to ensure that this building can be used for many more years to come.”
Olivia Stitson, Senior Architect at Donald Insall Associates, said: “Brighton Museum and Art Gallery is a nationally important building as one of the first purpose-built museums in the country.
“The 1960s roof lantern has reached the end of its service life, and its necessary replacement provides an important opportunity not only to improve safety, maintenance costs and carbon emissions, but make sure we’re passing this much-loved gallery to the next generation.
“The introduction of a thermally insulated solid lead roof will significantly improve the performance of this Grade II* listed building whilst also providing an incredible opportunity to reinterpret the building’s original architectural qualities and recreate a sense of daylight from above.”
