Green light for Burrell Collection£15mrevamp
A £15 MILLION grant towards the redevelopment of the Burrell Collection has been formally approved by lottery chiefs.
The museum in Glasgow closed last October for a £66 million refurbishment project to upgrade the building and increase display space.
Under the modernisation plans, a new roof glazing will be fitted, along with two new floors of exhibition space so that 90 per cent of the 9000 objects can be viewed by the public. Burrell Renaissance has raised over 80 per cent of the project costs so far, with Glasgow City Council agreeing to fund up to 50 per cent of the overall amount.
The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) previously granted the project £15 million at the phase one outline approval stage in 2015 and has now formally approved the funding at the second stage of the process.
Councillor David McDonald, chairman of Glasgow Life which manages the museum, said: “With HLF’s support and commitment, the Burrell Collection is once again a catalyst for change, driving regeneration of the historic and cultural heritage of Pollok Country Park, greatly enhancing the wider cultural offer South Side of Glasgow and playing an important role in the city’s growing tourism offer by contributing to the economic impact tourism brings to the city.” Before it closed only around 20 per cent of the objects were on display. The collection was gifted to the city by Sir William and Lady Burrell in 1944, and the museum opened in 1983.
As part of the refurbishment flexible displays for the rotation of artworks and new spaces for temporary exhibitions will be installed to al- low much more of the collection to be displayed, and a new dedicated space for special exhibitions will be created. Landscaped terraces will connect the museum to Pollok Country Park while the fabric of the Grade A-listed building will be repaired.
Seona Reid, deputy chairman of HLF, said: “The Burrell Collection was one of the greatest gifts ever given to a city.” The museum will reopen in 2020.