The Staffordshire History Centre, on Eastgate Street in Stafford, will welcome visitors on Wednesday after more than three years of work on the project. It will serve primarily as a storage facility for the county’s archives, with members of the public able to book appointments to have a look at the collections.

Staffordshire county councillor Victoria Wilson told BBC Radio Stoke the opening would be a “very exciting moment” for her.

Tilbury on the Thames Trust in Partnership with The Port of Tilbury is celebrating the achievement of securing an incredible £4,478,310 in funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to deliver its ambitious plans to fully refurbish Tilbury’s Grade II listed historic Riverside Railway Station to bring the historic landmark back to life as a vibrant community location.

WINNER OF THE COMMUNITY PRIZE

The project included the complete restoration of the Grade II Listed Springfield House and a stunning new Community Events Building, the Glass House, sitting within the restored walled Kitchen Garden.

https://nla.london/awards/springfield-park-new-london-awards-2023-winner

Ipswich Museum is awarded a £110,000 grant by The Wolfson Foundation towards the refurbishment of Ipswich Museum.

Wool-I-Am, Ipswich Museum’s mammoth will be getting a gallery of his own thanks to a £110,000 grant from the Wolfson Foundation.

https://www.ipswich.gov.uk/content/ipswich-museum-awarded-%C2%A3110000-grant-wolfson-foundation-towards-refurbishment-ipswich-museum

Ipswich Museum embarks on £8.7m redevelopment.

Ipswich Museum in Suffolk has received lottery funding to support a major redevelopment.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded the museum a grant of £4,324,800 for the £8.7m project, which will be backed up by £3.6m in funding from Ipswich Borough Council.

The Friends of Ipswich Museum will put £40,000 towards the project, and the remaining £450,000 will be raised through trusts and charitable foundations.

Ipswich Museum is awarded a £4.3m grant by The National Lottery Heritage Fund towards a project that will inspire a new generation.

https://www.ipswich.gov.uk/content/ipswich-museum-awarded-%C2%A343m-grant-national-lottery-heritage-fund

Damien Egan, the Mayor of Lewisham, is delighted that plans for the restoration of the Ladywell Playtower are progressing. The proposals will see the Playtower restored and opened as a new independent cinema – with all staff paid the London Living Wage.

Find out more at https: https://lewisham.gov.uk/LadywellPlaytower

Lewisham council has finalised an agreement allowing Pringle Richards Sharratt’s plans to convert a derelict Victorian baths building into a cinema to proceed. 

Developer Guildmore and independent cinema operator Lyn Goleby will work with the architects to create a four-screen cinema with restaurant and bar. It is due to open to the public in 2024.

https://www.bdonline.co.uk/news/pringle-richards-sharratts-rescue-plan-for-derelict-victorian-baths-back-on-track/5115807.article

Hackney Venues is delighted to announce the opening of the Glass House in Springfield Park at the end of July.

This brand new purpose built venue will be located on the site of the old Victorian temperate glass houses that used to look out over the park.

Operated by the Council, the Glass House comprises two spaces: the Orchard Room and the Sky Room, perfect for wedding ceremonies, receptions and other small and larger events.

To book: 

https://www.hackneyvenues.com/the-glass-house

Landmark footage shared by ZSL London Zoo shows the historic moment the famous Snowdon Aviary is ‘unwrapped’ - signaling a defining moment in the iconic structure’s restoration journey. The dramatic footage shows experts abseiling down the Grade II listed building onFriday 30 July 2021 to carefully peel away the first of 200 mesh panels wrapped around it in 1965 - starting the one-year countdown to its summer 2022 rebirth as a new home for a troop of Eastern black and white colobus monkeys.