Newham to get its museum back after 30 years with new heritage centre

"More than thirty years after Newham closed its local museum, a replacement is set to open in Canning Town following a £2.7 million grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The council is currently converting the Grade II-listed Old Library into the Newham Heritage Centre, and the grant will assist with that work and ensure it can house Newham Council's historic archives. As part of that work, the borough's museum collection will also go on display for the first time in over 30 years."

"This collection comprises thousands of objects spanning major global events, industry, political change, art, and everyday life in Newham, from the prehistoric era to the present day. The collection also includes over 100 pieces of Bow Porcelain and the largest collection of works by the self-taught artist, Madge Gill."

"Thanks to National Lottery players over the last 30 years, we have invested £3.4bn in more than 10,600 historic buildings and monuments, ensuring the UK's heritage is valued, cared for, and sustained. These projects will boost wellbeing, create learning opportunities for young people and make heritage a powerful driver of local pride and prosperity."

A £2.7 million grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund is funding conversion of the Grade II-listed Old Library in Canning Town into the Newham Heritage Centre. The centre will house Newham Council's historic archives and put the borough's museum collection on public display for the first time in over 30 years. The historic building has links to the Trade Union and Suffragette movements and to Will Thorne's founding of the GMB Union in 1899. Collections include over 3,000 photographs, thousands of objects spanning prehistoric to modern eras, more than 100 pieces of Bow Porcelain and the largest corpus of works by Madge Gill. The borough's archives are managed by Newham Heritage Service, which runs the Newham Local Studies and Archives Library, administers the Newham Photos website and holds former collections from Passmore Edwards Museum and North Woolwich Old Station Museum. The new museum is scheduled to open later this year.

Read at ianVisits