Urgent roof repair work can start on Brighton Museum after £1.4million grant

Urgent repairs to the roof of the Brighton Museum & Art Gallery can be carried out thanks to a £1.4million grant.

The Royal Pavilion and Museums Trust is one of many galleries, museums, libraries and other venues across the country set to benefit from almost £50 million of funding which aims to help safeguard the nation’s cultural heritage.

Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, a Grade II* listed Georgian building on the Royal Pavilion Estate dates from 1804. It was one of the first purpose-built museums in the UK.

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In 2019, a survey found the roof of the museum needed urgent repairs to the Georgian glass lantern above the central main gallery. Now, thanks to the grant of £1,463,769 from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sports and delivered by Arts Council England, the repairs can get underway.

Hedley Swain, the CEO of the Royal Pavilion & Museums Trust, said: “We are so grateful to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport and Arts Council England for this important award from the Cultural Investment Funds, including Museum Estate and Development Fund (MEND).

“It will allow us to make urgent and timely repairs to the roof of Brighton Museum and Art gallery allowing us to stay open and plan with confidence for the future. Additional funding will be provided by Brighton & Hove City Council to whom we are also deeply grateful.

“Brighton Museum is an important historic building, part of the Royal Pavilion estate. It’s so important that buildings like this are maintained for the benefit of current and future generations."

Councillor Martin Osborne, co-chair of the city council’s Tourism, Equalities, Communities and Culture Committee, added: “This is fantastic news, not just for the museum but the whole Royal Pavilion Estate. As the Corn Exchange and Studio Theatre renovation project nears completion, it’s wonderful that work can begin to enhance and preserve another of our unique and important historic buildings.”

The repairs will start in autumn and take around four months. During the work Brighton Museum will remain open although the 20th Century Gallery will be closed.

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