New £3.6m visitor centre to help attraction meet visitor demand

A NEW £3.6m visitor centre is to open at Yorkshire Sculpture Park next spring to help accommodate tens of thousands of extra visitors each year.

Built on a historic quarry site within the 18th-century Bretton Estate, The Weston is intended to improve the experience at the park’s east entrance with a new restaurant, gallery space, public foyer and shop.

Set to open on March 30, 2019, it will increase capacity at the award-winning open-air gallery in Wakefield, which has seen visitor numbers soar in the past few years.

The park welcomed more than 480,000 people in 2017/18, a rise of 39 per cent in four years, and now contributes around £10m each year to the local economy.

Peter Murray CBE, executive and founding director of Yorkshire Sculpture Park, said: “We’re excited to complete construction on The Weston which is an important part of Yorkshire Sculpture Park’s future.

“The new centre is a reflection of our ambition to increase long-term resilience and sustainability by building audiences, further developing our artistic programme, and increasing visitor income. We are very grateful to the many different organisations who have made this project possible, including our visitors who have provided invaluable support.”

The building will have a wildflower roof, designed by Jonathan Cook Landscape Architects and inspired by 19th century Yorkshireman and plant adventurer, Reginald Farrer.

It will also feature a low-energy environmental control system which uses a passive humidity buffer to maintain favourable gallery conditions.

It has been named in tribute to the significant support given by family grant-maker, The Garfield Weston Foundation.

There have been many other donations to the project, including £50,000 from the public.