PRESS RELEASE
Date 28 May 2008
New museum of people and boats to open in Sheringham

The go ahead has been given for work to begin on the creation of a new museum for Sheringham. The £1.1 million project will see the conversion of ‘The Mo’, a modern building and viewing tower on Sheringham seafront, into a smart new museum that will be a major new attraction on Norfolk’s popular north coast.

Today, the Heritage Lottery Fund, which is backing the project to the tune of £799,500 has formally given the project the green light. Robyn Llewellyn, Head of Heritage Lottery Fund, East of England said:
“Now that the Directors have successfully met all the requirements of their award work can really get going on the new Sheringham Museum. This is a great project that will provide a much needed resource for the museum, creating a fully functional exhibition area and enabling the proper display of the lifeboat and fishing boat collections for the first time. The provision of multi-purpose facilities and links with learning programmes is an inspired approach that will open up the museum’s fantastic collections to the widest possible audience”.

The redevelopment will see the existing structure of The Mo transformed. The museum’s impressive collection of lifeboats and fishing boats will be housed in two large ground floor exhibition halls, while upstairs displays will focus on Sheringham town and will include displays about tourism in the town and re-creations of traditional shops.

There will also be a museum shop and a multi-purpose room for meetings, exhibitions and work with schools and groups. With several good cafes and pubs near by, a decision was taken not to include a museum café but to encourage visitors to use these instead.

The existing viewing tower, which currently offers only limited views, will be radically re-modelled to give visitors an unrivalled panorama of the town and coastline.

Award-winning architects Fielden and Mawson have been appointed and the Directors will also be bringing in other specialist consultants to work alongside the museum’s own team of expert volunteers. It is hoped that work will start on site in the autumn and that the new museum will open a year later.

more… David Brown, Project Leader and Chairman of the Directors said:
“It’s the realisation of a dream for us to bring together the two different elements of our collections – the maritime and local and social history. We have three beautifully restored lifeboats that all served the town and three traditional fishing boats that were built practically next door to the museum’s new home. We’ve also got wonderful collections that bring to life the fascinating story of the town of Sheringham and its people”.

The museum will be a major new tourist attraction for Sheringham and for the north Norfolk coast. It will be open for 11 months of the year and a Museum Manager will co-ordinate a team of trained volunteers.

Sheringham museum is still looking to raise additional funds and would be interested in hearing from companies or individuals who may wish to contribute. To find out more about how to support the new Sheringham Museum contact David Brown on 01263 823464.

For more information
David Brown 01263 823464 or
davidcbrown5@hotmail.com
www.sheringhammuseum.co.uk

Editors Notes

The Sheringham Museum
The Sheringham Museum was set up by Sheringham Town Council and a group of local enthusiasts in 1988. Originally housed in five former fishermen’s cottages, the museum featured collections relating to local maritime and social history. The museum subsequently acquired three of the town’s historic life boats and three fishing boats, which were restored and kept in safe storage. The operation of the museum and the restoration of the boats was undertaken entirely by local volunteers.

Museum Redevelopment Project
In 1999 the museum’s then Executive Committee began to explore options for merging the two elements of the museum collections, ‘maritime’ and ‘local and social history’ - in one location.

A careful process of research and consultation led to the development of a plan to move into and convert the building known as ‘The Mo’, on Sheringham seafront. The Mo was originally built for North Norfolk District Council as an amenity building in 1996. This project will bring the building into use for the first time.

The redevelopment of The Sheringham Museum is being funded by Heritage Lottery Fund and through the museum’s own funds raised from the sale of the original museum cottages and from fundraising activities.