Black Country Living Museum celebrates £90k grant for latest project

The Dudley attraction has been gifted the money from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport's Wolfson Fund to go towards the Forging Ahead, Cast-Iron Houses development.

It was the one of just two museums in the West Midlands to receive the grant, the other being the Potteries Museum in Stoke-on-Trent which received £210,000.

A total of 35 museums and galleries across the country received grants of up to £300,000 as part of a £4 million fund.

Katy Price, development manager for Black Country Living Museum said: "Thanks to this generous funding from DCMS Wolfson Foundation, we’re one step closer to our major development project BCLM: Forging Ahead becoming a reality.

"This particular investment will allow us to move our Cast Iron houses into the heart of our new 40s-60s town, reinterpreting them using real Black Country stories to create an immersive wartime and post-war living experience."

The DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund supports national and regional museums across England to improve the quality of displays, enhance exhibition spaces and public access, and increase awareness of their collections.

Jointly funded by the Government department and philanthropic charity the Wolfson Foundation, the fund has so far given £48 million to help 382 projects at 114 museum groups and galleries since it was started in 2001.

Minister for Arts, Heritage and Tourism Michael Ellis said: "Our museums and galleries are among the best in the world and we are rightly proud of these institutions.

"The DCMS/Wolfson Fund demonstrates how the government and philanthropic organisations can work together to boost our museum sector.

“We want people up and down the country to enjoy culture and heritage wherever they are. The 35 grants awarded today will make important contributions towards improving the visitor experience; ensuring our wonderful collections are open to as many people as possible.”

Paul Ramsbottom, chief executive of the Wolfson Foundation said: "We are delighted to provide this funding through our long-standing partnership with DCMS – an excellent example of how we as a charity can work together fruitfully with government. We are grateful to DCMS for matching our funding.

“One of the great treasures of this country is the sheer quality and range of our heritage collections – stored and displayed in wonderful museums and galleries. This funding will help to provide even better visitor experiences and greater awareness of these fascinating collections."

The successful museums and galleries are part of the thirteenth round of funding from the DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund.