Mystery donation kickstarts art gallery refurb

A mystery donation has kickstarted the biggest investment in the city’s art gallery and museum since the 1990s.

An anonymous donation of £300,000 to boost the permanent collection of art at Worcester Art Gallery and Museum has been accepted by the city council and will mark the start of a major refurbishment of the facility.

Worcester City Council’s policy and resources committee accepted the donation and backed plans which will boost future investment in the art gallery museum at a meeting in the Guildhall on Tuesday (September 7).

City council leader Marc Bayliss said the “generous” donation was a “fantastic opportunity” for the city.

Cllr Lucy Hodgson added: “This very generous donation will see our permanent displays strengthened – particularly the British Impressionists from the early 1900s – as well as improvements to the fabric of the building.

“This donation will also kickstart development around the museum first mooted in 2014 and the moving of the Worcestershire Soldier to the Commandery will also free up space.

“This is certainly exciting times and again I would like to thank the donor for his generosity.”

Philippa Tinsley, the city council’s museums manager, told the committee that the city’s art gallery had not received any major investment since the 1990s and parts of the building were in desperate need of updating.

The submission of a separate multi-million-pound bid for government funding will allow the Worcestershire Soldier exhibition – which currently takes up around a third of the space at the art gallery and museum building – to be moved across the city centre to the Commandery with the new space and mystery donation used to create an historic art gallery and improve its permanent displays.

Part of the almost £20million bid to the government focuses on the city’s heritage with improvements to the art gallery museum and Commandery top of the list of priorities.

The improvements to the city’s art gallery and museum will tie in with the vision to create a cultural and creative hub around the northern part of the city centre – including the multi-million-pound Angel Place and Arches redevelopments.

A charitable body will be formed to receive the donation as well as support fundraising for the city and county’s museums in the future and allow for more bids for government and grant funding.