Birmingham museum and art gallery will be closed until 2024 for renovations
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (BMAG) has closed for renovations and won’t be open until sometime in 2024.
Located within the Birmingham City Council House in Chamberlain Square, the venue had only partially opened this year for the Commonwealth Games amid a substantial facelift to the entire building.
BMAG closed its doors on Sunday, November 13 for the works to take place and has not said exactly when it will reopen. The venue’s website says renovations including electrical work, heating upgrades, roof repairs and lift replacements are essential, having already begun in other parts of the building.
The website adds: “We recognised that 2022 was an exciting year for Birmingham when the spotlight was on the city for the Commonwealth Games, so we worked hard to get as much of the museum open as possible this year. It is now time for the museum to close once again so that the building works can continue.
“We realise the closure will be disappointing for many people, but the ongoing building work is very important and will ensure the museum can be enjoyed in full in the future. We thank all our visitors for their patience.”
Many of the museum’s most popular objects and artworks will return once the renovations are complete. Notably, the Pre-Raphaelite artworks and the Staffordshire Hoard, the largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold ever found, will remain on display.
While the museum is closed, the Staffordshire Hoard can be seen at the Potteries Museum and Art gallery in Stoke-on-Trent.
Many of the items will be stored by Birmingham Museums Trust which holds around 1 million objects from nine venues in the city including BMAG. Some of BMAG’s items can be viewed at the Museum Collection Centre in Nechells, which is open to the public once every two weeks for pre-booked tours.
The Grade II* listed building in the heart of the city has been undergoing renovations since the summer of 2021. Initial estimates for renovating the council house were put at £32.5 million.
BMAG’s electrical upgrades are part of the council’s works. Funding for the other renovations such as the roof and the new lifts is coming from the government’s Museums Estate and Development Fund.
