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01 Mar 2012
06 Sep 2011
24 Mar 2011
Yorkshire Museum - Phase 1 - Handover
The first completed phase of the refurbishment of the Yorkshire Museum is handed over this week. Work began in January to remove displays, stores and toilets to make way for new facilities and a much improved circulation route through the lower ground floor. One of the things visitors will notice immediately is the revamped space around the striking ‘warming hearth’, part of the St Mary’s Abbey ruins over which the Yorkshire Museum was built.
The completion of the works to the visitor facilities to the lower ground floor, and other substantial works to the fabric undertaken in this phase, mark the first milestone for work on site to completely transform the museum’s interior. Virtually every space is being refurbished and every gallery replaced. Work continues to strip out existing displays to reveal the original grandeur of the museum building and to provide a backdrop for exciting new exhibitions. On a practical note, building services are being refurbished, drains repaired and replaced and fire protection upgraded, all to ensure the longevity of the building.
The lower ground floor circulation and ‘warming hearth’ before and during the works and part of the completed first phase Under York Museums Trust’s theme of ‘letting in the light’, the internal layout is being returned to its original format. Long views through the galleries will be reinstated and the visual connection between the ruins outside and the displays inside restored and daylight allowed in. The theme is reflected in the materials and colors of the interior design to create vibrant, welcoming spaces. The whole project is due to be completed in time for reopening of the museum on Yorkshire Day, 1st August 2010.
