Plans have been announced for the £11.5m refurbishment of the Ulster Museum, a landmark building in Belfast's Botanic Gardens. Northern Ireland's Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure will meet almost £7m of the costs and £4.7m will come from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), making it the biggest single grant to Northern Ireland from the HLF.
Renovation is intended to repair the structure of the building as well as improve the quality of exhibition spaces. The building's electronic infrastructure will be modernised to enable more and better interactive displays, which should make them more attractive to a wider range of visitors.
The Central Courtyard will also be extensively refurbished to increase the space for temporary exhibitions and provide easier access to galleries. New history and science galleries, a 'sculpture court' and a performance area will also be created.
David Hanson, the culture, arts and leisure minister in Northern Ireland, said: 'This is not just an investment in the museum - it is an investment in the economic regeneration of the city. Over the past ten years, Belfast has reinvented itself as a modern capital city.
'The museum has a vital role to play in cementing its growing reputation both as a tourist destination and as a dynamic and outward-looking city in which to live and work.'
He added that museums should have a central role to play in the community and must be able to offer facilities that meet the needs of a rapidly changing society.
'As minister, I want to see greater numbers of visitors coming through the doors of the Ulster Museum. I want to see people walk into this building - people who have never been to a museum before in their lives - and I want to see them enjoying the experience.'
Tim Cooke, the chief executive of Museums and Galleries of Northern Ireland, which runs the Ulster Museum, added: 'This is a major step forward in revitalising one of Northern Ireland's most important assets.
'It will allow us to build upon the established reputation of the Ulster Museum as a home for inspirational collections, excellent exhibitions and engaging learning and creative programmes. We will now be concentrating on the specific design and content of the project.'
The current neo-classical Ulster Museum was built in the 1920s from Portland stone and opened in 1929. Today, it has about 8,000 sq metres of public display space. The refurbishment is planned to begin next year and is scheduled for completion in 2008.
Paul Gosling
Renovation is intended to repair the structure of the building as well as improve the quality of exhibition spaces. The building's electronic infrastructure will be modernised to enable more and better interactive displays, which should make them more attractive to a wider range of visitors.
The Central Courtyard will also be extensively refurbished to increase the space for temporary exhibitions and provide easier access to galleries. New history and science galleries, a 'sculpture court' and a performance area will also be created.
David Hanson, the culture, arts and leisure minister in Northern Ireland, said: 'This is not just an investment in the museum - it is an investment in the economic regeneration of the city. Over the past ten years, Belfast has reinvented itself as a modern capital city.
'The museum has a vital role to play in cementing its growing reputation both as a tourist destination and as a dynamic and outward-looking city in which to live and work.'
He added that museums should have a central role to play in the community and must be able to offer facilities that meet the needs of a rapidly changing society.
'As minister, I want to see greater numbers of visitors coming through the doors of the Ulster Museum. I want to see people walk into this building - people who have never been to a museum before in their lives - and I want to see them enjoying the experience.'
Tim Cooke, the chief executive of Museums and Galleries of Northern Ireland, which runs the Ulster Museum, added: 'This is a major step forward in revitalising one of Northern Ireland's most important assets.
'It will allow us to build upon the established reputation of the Ulster Museum as a home for inspirational collections, excellent exhibitions and engaging learning and creative programmes. We will now be concentrating on the specific design and content of the project.'
The current neo-classical Ulster Museum was built in the 1920s from Portland stone and opened in 1929. Today, it has about 8,000 sq metres of public display space. The refurbishment is planned to begin next year and is scheduled for completion in 2008.
Paul Gosling
