Wolverhampton Art Gallery cafe to move as renovations continue

Work on the Grade ll* listed gallery will involve moving the cafe frop the top floor to the ground floor and demolishing the existing steps and stonework balustrade to the St Peter’s Close entrance.

The existing floor in the lobby and the internal ramps and partition will also be replaced.

Council bosses say the work is being undertaken with a view to creating a more inclusive side entrance to the 1884 building focused around the gardens next to St Peter’s Close and the neighbouring St Peter’s Church.

A spokesman for Wolverhampton Council said: “The Listed Building consent will allow the relocation of the cafe from the top floor to a larger ground floor location alongside a new kitchen area, and improvements to the St Peter’s Gardens entrance.

“Phase one works are already complete and saw the ‘Sensing Sculpture’ room on the first floor transformed into an exhibition space that has enabled the gallery to host larger touring exhibitions such as the Natural History Museum’s World Wildlife Photographer of the Year.

“The spectacular Georgian Room was also fully refurbished, and the PA system and wi-fi connectivity improved.”

The renovations will also include new ramps being installed externally and internally to allow visitors to enter through a single door. The work will also mean the original external symmetrical appearance of the gallery will be restored.

A planning report to the council said: “Once inside, visitors will arrive in a light, welcoming space with visual and material connections to the atrium, civic gallery and the newly relocated cafe/restaurant.

“The clean, light and modern restaurant will be able to operate in a number of ways – cafe/restaurant/bar/venue – which in combination with the new toilets and flexible access to the gallery beyond creates a truly versatile functional space.

“This will not only enhance the experience of the day to day gallery visitor, but also provides the gallery with a powerful and flexible solution to secure its long-term future.

“Part of the existing floor and all of the existing ramp arrangement, believed to date from approximately 1980, needs to be removed and replaced with new constructions at a lower level to enable all of the work.”

The renovations will also allow the cafe to have connection to the new toilets without entering into the atrium space.