Perth Museum to Receive Multi-Million Pound Investment

Perth and Kinross Council will invest £10M in Perth Museum and Art Gallery, which will result in a major overhaul to the building and see the creation of a new collection store in the city. The revamp will deliver modern facilities on par with the National Museum of Scotland and other recent major refurbishments. The project will be managed by hub East Central Scotland in partnership with the Council. Architectural firm Hoskins has been appointed to lead the overall design of the project, with BAM Construction carrying out work on the museum and Ogilvie Construction tasked with building the new collection store on a separate site. Perth is currently bidding to become UK City of Culture 2021 and the museum renovation is intended to support the city of Perth’s future development. The project is anticipated to increase the cultural offerings of the city, improve the quality of life for residents and attract greater numbers of visitors. Council Leader Ian Miller said: “The development at the Museum and Art Gallery is fantastic. The museum will be refurbished to make it more modern and accessible and it will have updated facilities with more display space. I think it will deliver tangible benefits for the people of Perth and I hope it encourages many more people in Perth and Kinross, and wider afield, to visit one of our best cultural assets.” Chris Coleman-Smith, the Project Director of Hoskins said: “We are delighted to be working with Perth and Kinross Council and… as a part of the UK City of Culture bid in 2021 this gives an opportunity to really transform the offer that the museum and art gallery will give to its audience, both within Perth and the local area, but also nationally and internationally. I think it’s got the potential to put Perth on the cultural map.” BAM Regional Director, Bruce Dickson spoke about the project, adding: “We were absolutely delighted to be selected as the contractor for this project by East Central Hub and Perth and Kinross Council. We have a long track record on heritage and cultural projects and Perth Museum and Art Gallery provides a great opportunity to continue our work in this sector. It is particularly encouraging to be invited to get involved right at the outset of the project which allows the whole team to engage productively with the single aim of designing and delivering an exceptional end result for our Clients from day one.” Ogilvie Construction will be tasked with building the new collection store which will house the museum’s 450,000 items whilst they are not on display. Out of the total investment £3M will be invested in the new building, which will provide a more suitable space for the collection. The collection is currently stored in the museum basement when not on display to the public. Donald MacDonald, Managing Director at Ogilvie Construction said: “We are delighted to have been awarded the contract for such a prestigious project and look forward to working closely with Perth & Kinross Council to deliver a first class facility." Gary Bushnell, Chief Executive, hub East Central Scotland, said: “We are working closely with all stakeholders involved in the project and look forward to managing it to successful completion, creating a unique new home for the museum and gallery.” Helen Smout, the Chief Executive of Culture Perth and Kinross said: “This is the first of many important milestones in an exciting journey which will dramatically transform our cultural landscape, not just in the city centre but throughout Perth and Kinross. The multi-million pound transformation of Perth Museum and Art Gallery will create the modern museum experience expected by the general public, allow Culture Perth and Kinross to showcase a much larger portion of Perth’s incredible collections, and attract more big name touring exhibitions. Such an enormous capital investment programme also demonstrates the seriousness of Perth’s 2021 City of Culture bid. Along with our partners, CPK welcomes the appointment of Hoskins Ltd and the construction team led by Ogilvie Construction Limited and looks forward to an exciting new era of arts and culture throughout the region.” Perth Museum and Art Gallery will close to the public in late 2018 - early 2019, however planning is still at an early stage so exact times are yet unknown. Some services will start being reduced between now and the closure date. This will allow staff and volunteers to focus on preparing the collections for the move, however exhibitions, events and learning programmes will all continue as planned. Before the museum closes, all items must be wrapped and transferred into the new collections store. The museum will stage a ‘review and more’ exhibition from 14 February showing some of the objects that are being moved, beginning with costumes, and how they are packed and stored. Gary Bushnell, Chief Executive, hub East Central Scotland, said: “We are working closely with all stakeholders involved in the project and look forward to managing it to successful completion, creating a unique new home for the museum and gallery.”