The Brunel Museum is celebrating today following the announcement of a £1.85million grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund for their Brunel Museum Reinvented project. The three-year project will see the site transformed into a more inclusive and accessible space to tell the fascinating stories of Marc and Isambard Kingdom Brunel and a new community and education programme created.
The museum, based in Southwark, celebrates the story of the Brunel family who are at the heart of Victorian innovation and the Industrial Revolution. It is located at the site of Marc Brunel’s ground-breaking Thames Tunnel running from Rotherhithe to Wapping. This was the first ever tunnel to run underneath a river and pioneered innovation that is still used today.
The project aims to be completed by 2025 in time to celebrate 200 years since work began on this ‘Eighth Wonder of the World’. It will see the Engine House restored to its former glory and a new gallery created. Within this, a brand-new exhibition will give everyone a chance to learn about the Brunels innovatively with new technology such as Augmented Reality, particularly fitting for this forward-thinking family. A new Welcome Pavilion will transform the visitor experience with accessible facilities, shop and cafe, enabling more people to visit and learn about this important heritage.
A collection of 30 watercolours known as the Thames Tunnel Archive will be on display for the first time. These were painted by the Brunels throughout the Thames Tunnel project and offer a unique insight into its creation. Exceptional for their beauty, artistic merit and technical detail, the drawings have been described as the most important Brunel collection ever to enter the public domain. They were buried in a family album for almost 200 years but were acquired by the museum in 2017 and have been waiting to find their permanent home on the walls of the restored Engine House.
The community is at the heart of the project with a programme of free community events and an educational programme being developed. The already much-loved Tunnel Shaft Garden and the adjacent Piazza will be retained as an open space for community activities and will host free-entry events. The museum will also go on tour to other local venues such as Surrey Quays and Millwall Football Club. A paid trainee role will be created for a young person from a disadvantaged background and work experience will be organised through Lewisham Southwark College for young people with special needs.
Katherine McAlpine from the Brunel Museum said: “We’re thrilled to have received this support from the Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players, we’re not only able to revolutionise the museum and its space but look at how we involve and interact with our local community and schools here in Southwark. Having this new space means that we can engage more with everyone and involve them in what the next 200 years will look like for us.
“The Thames Tunnel is where Isambard Kingdom Brunel learnt his trade from his father, so it is only fitting as part of the project there’s a big focus on education. We’re thrilled to provide a traineeship and work experience and will also be working with primary school history and STEM learning programmes. We’re hoping by enabling more people to learn about the amazing story of the Brunels, we can inspire the next generation of engineers.”
Stuart McLeod, Director England – London & South at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “We are delighted to support the Brunel Museum to help it transform its spaces and experience for future visitors – whether from the local schools, the wider community or further afield. Not only will it restore historic buildings, but it will also create an accessible space where people can come to discover the stories of one of the most important historic families to revolutionise our cities. Investing in heritage such as this means that a wider range of people can be involved in heritage. This is an essential outcome for all of the projects we support.
“In recent years, museums have had to diversify and adapt to support their future. Thanks to National Lottery players, this new space will enable the Brunel Museum to have greater flexibility and futureproof its offer. As well as this, this historic building and the stories it tells will be protected for future generations. What a great legacy.”
The National Lottery Heritage Fund is the UK’s largest funder of heritage projects, with almost £3.2billion awarded to nearly 15,000 projects in London & South since 1994. They support a wide range of projects including historic buildings and monuments; community and cultural heritage; and landscape and nature.
