The Market Hall in Warwick was originally built in 1670 to provide a covered arcade for market traders, with meeting rooms on the upper floor and a gaol in the basement.
By 1879, the building had been taken over by the Warwickshire Natural History and Archaeological Society, which had ambitions to set up a museum.
It currently houses a branch of the Warwickshire Museum Service and is used to showcase collections relating to geology, archaeology and natural history. I visited more than a decade ago and my memory is of a gloomy space crammed with objects and impenetrable text panels.
Today, the ground floor has been completely remodelled to make it bright, accessible and welcoming, while key objects have been identified throughout for redisplay and updated interpretation. Improving public access lies at the heart of this scheme.
The museum service was able to scrape together an impressive £270,000 by cannily identifying several pots of money that the council had earmarked for Disability Discrimination Act upgrades, enhanced visitor services and general maintenance.
Major transformation
The transformation of the Grade II*-listed building was achieved in association with Rodney Melville & Partners, a local firm of architects whose clients include nearby Compton Verney, Warwick Castle and the Barber Institute.
The original plan was for a new front entrance to provide level access to the ground floor, but the project soon snowballed to include reglazing the arches; removing a mezzanine to raise the height of the ceiling; installing a new lighting system; and relocating an internal wall to create a new shop.
Behind the scenes, new staff and stock rooms have been constructed, it has been rewired, the IT system has been modernised, and ceilings have been fireproofed. Michelle Phillips, the museum service and transformation manager, says it is “an attempt to future-proof the museum”.
The greatest challenge was managing the budget to make the most of every penny and to identify options for savings. One way of achieving this was by harnessing the expertise of the museum team rather than employing external specialists.
The in-house designers created a new logo based on the iconographic arches of the building. It is a simple yet effective device that pops up throughout the galleries, from graphic panels to shop-fittings, reinforcing the Market Hall brand.
Moving the bear
Savings were also made by not using specialist art handlers during the many object-moves the project needed. When the mounted brown bear needed to be relocated to the first floor, the conservators first wrapped it in plastic sheeting then devised a sturdy net that allowed them to heave it upstairs to a new dustproof showcase.
Another challenge was the logistics of packing, moving and protecting objects in situ while building work was undertaken.
Galleries were deployed as transit storage areas while object-moves were planned with military precision to ensure the project stayed on track. Some objects were boxed-in while others were moved several times to allow work to take place in different areas throughout the building.
Although the majority of the budget was spent on architectural changes and infrastructure, a discrete amount was set aside for improving displays and interpretation. The greatest change is evident in the ground floor geological display.
With space at a premium, the Wilmcote plesiosaur has been mounted vertically against a column with a new glass and steel barrier to protect it from accidental knocks, while an open display of rocks, fossils and minerals allows visitors to touch geological specimens.
The skeleton of a giant Irish deer takes pride of place in one of the arches. The space is illuminated at night to allow passers-by to view the deer, which is the subject of its own Twitter account.
The museum understands the importance of new media for reaching out to its audiences and posted regular updates on the web while the building was closed. The staff are keen to point out that plans are already afoot for the next phase of development.
Top of the list is a lift to provide wheelchair access to the upper floor, for which a survey has already been carried out and display improvements on the accompany the live beehive in the natural history gallery.
Finding a balance
While the structural changes are urgently needed, I hope the museum secures funding to refresh the displays throughout.
The curators have done an admirable job of choosing and I understand the need to be selective on a tight budget. The downside of picking out individual items is that the overall sense of cohesion is imbalanced and the old displays look tired in comparison with the new.
For example, the Sheldon Tapestry has been allocated eight interpretation panels while the bear and the beehive have four panels each, plus numerous information leaflets to reflect the level of importance accorded these particular items.
I would welcome some judicious editing to prevent information overload and maintain focus. The teddy bear panel makes no obvious connection to Warwickshire or to the mounted bear on display and the information seems out of place in a natural history gallery.
I would also like to see more information about the building, which is an important object in its own right and has some interesting graffiti scratched into the walls of the former cells, out of sight of the general public.
Such observations should not detract from the fact that this is an admirable achievement at a time when heritage projects are often subject to harsh cuts and neglect. Market Hall can be seen as an exercise in how to make significant and long-lasting improvements on a tight local authority budget.
With this level of ambition, I have no doubt that Warwickshire Museum Service will achieve its aims of raising funds for the next phase of development and attracting increased numbers of visitors.
Maria Blyzinsky is a freelance exhibitions consultant and co-founder of the Exhibitions Team
Cost £270,000
Main funder Warwickshire County Council
Principal contractor Arden Construction
Lead consultant Bridgewater & Coulton
Architect Rodney Melville & Partners, Leamington Spa
Shopfitter Mark II Construction
By 1879, the building had been taken over by the Warwickshire Natural History and Archaeological Society, which had ambitions to set up a museum.
It currently houses a branch of the Warwickshire Museum Service and is used to showcase collections relating to geology, archaeology and natural history. I visited more than a decade ago and my memory is of a gloomy space crammed with objects and impenetrable text panels.
Today, the ground floor has been completely remodelled to make it bright, accessible and welcoming, while key objects have been identified throughout for redisplay and updated interpretation. Improving public access lies at the heart of this scheme.
The museum service was able to scrape together an impressive £270,000 by cannily identifying several pots of money that the council had earmarked for Disability Discrimination Act upgrades, enhanced visitor services and general maintenance.
Major transformation
The transformation of the Grade II*-listed building was achieved in association with Rodney Melville & Partners, a local firm of architects whose clients include nearby Compton Verney, Warwick Castle and the Barber Institute.
The original plan was for a new front entrance to provide level access to the ground floor, but the project soon snowballed to include reglazing the arches; removing a mezzanine to raise the height of the ceiling; installing a new lighting system; and relocating an internal wall to create a new shop.
Behind the scenes, new staff and stock rooms have been constructed, it has been rewired, the IT system has been modernised, and ceilings have been fireproofed. Michelle Phillips, the museum service and transformation manager, says it is “an attempt to future-proof the museum”.
The greatest challenge was managing the budget to make the most of every penny and to identify options for savings. One way of achieving this was by harnessing the expertise of the museum team rather than employing external specialists.
The in-house designers created a new logo based on the iconographic arches of the building. It is a simple yet effective device that pops up throughout the galleries, from graphic panels to shop-fittings, reinforcing the Market Hall brand.
Moving the bear
Savings were also made by not using specialist art handlers during the many object-moves the project needed. When the mounted brown bear needed to be relocated to the first floor, the conservators first wrapped it in plastic sheeting then devised a sturdy net that allowed them to heave it upstairs to a new dustproof showcase.
Another challenge was the logistics of packing, moving and protecting objects in situ while building work was undertaken.
Galleries were deployed as transit storage areas while object-moves were planned with military precision to ensure the project stayed on track. Some objects were boxed-in while others were moved several times to allow work to take place in different areas throughout the building.
Although the majority of the budget was spent on architectural changes and infrastructure, a discrete amount was set aside for improving displays and interpretation. The greatest change is evident in the ground floor geological display.
With space at a premium, the Wilmcote plesiosaur has been mounted vertically against a column with a new glass and steel barrier to protect it from accidental knocks, while an open display of rocks, fossils and minerals allows visitors to touch geological specimens.
The skeleton of a giant Irish deer takes pride of place in one of the arches. The space is illuminated at night to allow passers-by to view the deer, which is the subject of its own Twitter account.
The museum understands the importance of new media for reaching out to its audiences and posted regular updates on the web while the building was closed. The staff are keen to point out that plans are already afoot for the next phase of development.
Top of the list is a lift to provide wheelchair access to the upper floor, for which a survey has already been carried out and display improvements on the accompany the live beehive in the natural history gallery.
Finding a balance
While the structural changes are urgently needed, I hope the museum secures funding to refresh the displays throughout.
The curators have done an admirable job of choosing and I understand the need to be selective on a tight budget. The downside of picking out individual items is that the overall sense of cohesion is imbalanced and the old displays look tired in comparison with the new.
For example, the Sheldon Tapestry has been allocated eight interpretation panels while the bear and the beehive have four panels each, plus numerous information leaflets to reflect the level of importance accorded these particular items.
I would welcome some judicious editing to prevent information overload and maintain focus. The teddy bear panel makes no obvious connection to Warwickshire or to the mounted bear on display and the information seems out of place in a natural history gallery.
I would also like to see more information about the building, which is an important object in its own right and has some interesting graffiti scratched into the walls of the former cells, out of sight of the general public.
Such observations should not detract from the fact that this is an admirable achievement at a time when heritage projects are often subject to harsh cuts and neglect. Market Hall can be seen as an exercise in how to make significant and long-lasting improvements on a tight local authority budget.
With this level of ambition, I have no doubt that Warwickshire Museum Service will achieve its aims of raising funds for the next phase of development and attracting increased numbers of visitors.
Maria Blyzinsky is a freelance exhibitions consultant and co-founder of the Exhibitions Team
Project data
Cost £270,000
Main funder Warwickshire County Council
Principal contractor Arden Construction
Lead consultant Bridgewater & Coulton
Architect Rodney Melville & Partners, Leamington Spa
Shopfitter Mark II Construction
