Tullie opens new community and venue hire centre

Tullie in Carlisle has opened a new community, gallery and venue hire space following a renovation project.

The Dye Works opened to the public last Saturday and provides accessible community spaces, a new gallery and flexible facilities for businesses.

It forms the latest chapter of Project Tullie and is an extension of the previously launched development that saw the creation of the new welcome and entrance space, shop, ground floor gallery, studio space and new cafe.

The Dye Works further connects the museum to the high street, following the recent upgrades to the Old City Hall and Gatehouse buildings.

The new venue provides space for community, cultural and commercial activity to take place.

The first exhibition, created by Tullie Producers, will celebrate Carlisle's social scenes and invite visitors to think about what being social means to them.

The upper floors of the Dye Works are available for business use including a boardroom, long-term office rentals, meeting spaces and wellbeing lounge, with a hot desking/co-working space coming soon.

Andrew Mackay, museum director at Tullie, said: “The Dye Works is about much more than bringing historic buildings back into use. It's about creating a place where community, culture and business can come together in the heart of Carlisle.

"We're incredibly proud of what has been achieved. These spaces will give us new opportunities to work with communities, showcase local creativity and build relationships with businesses, while helping to secure a sustainable future for Tullie. We're enormously grateful to our funders and everyone who has helped make this transformation possible, and we can't wait to welcome people inside.”

The project is funded with the support of the Architectural Heritage Fund and Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Capital Fund, both funded by UK Government; the Energy Efficiency Fund, a funding partnership between the Linbury Trust, the Wolfson Foundation and the Headley Trust, with support from Ashden Climate Solutions; Benny Walker Charitable Trust; and The Foyle Foundation.