Tower museum opens after £158k facelift

LONDONDERRY’S Tower Museum opens with a family fun day of events on Saturday (April 13) to mark the completion of a £157,750 facelift funded by Ilex through the Department for Social Development’s (DSD) UK City of Culture Capital Infrastructure Fund.
By The Newsroom
Published 10th Apr 2013, 13:53 BST
The Tower Museum in Londonderry.The Tower Museum in Londonderry.
The Tower Museum in Londonderry.

A new reception area and shop front have been installed and the main reception area of the Museum also received a facelift with the replacement of fixtures and fittings.

The cinema and auditorium area also now have a new heating system.

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Work was carried out within the Story of Derry exhibition to update the contemporary elements of the story with the inclusion of new objects and archives.

A key element of the works was the creation of a new Discovery Zone on level one of the Museum.

This is an exciting new space using a range of interactive elements to encourage visitors to explore and find out more about our rich heritage in a fun and engaging way. It covers a range of diverse themes such as Archaeology, Early People, Colmcille, Woodlands and the Contemporary City. Social Development Minister Nelson McCausland said: “I am pleased that my Department has been able to provide financial support for this project.

“The enhanced facilities will improve the visitor experience for users of the Museum during the UK City of Culture 2013 celebrations and beyond.”

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Mayor Kevin Campbell said: “The improvement works carried out at the Museum is a very positive story for the city and the local museum service.

“The Tower Museum is an award winning museum and a key part of our city’s tourism offering so we are delighted that this significant investment of over £150,000 has been injected into this important asset that tells our city’s unique history to future generations.

“The Tower Museum provides an essential starting point for visitors to understand the city’s development and is a key part of the City of Culture year as a key location for people to visit who want to find out more about the city’s story.”

Ilex’s Cultural Broker Caoimhin Corrigan said: “This investment in our city’s flagship museum will improve accessibility for customers and will enable exhibitions to be more interactive through the use of state-of-the-art digital equipment.

“This will provide a unique starting point for visitors to learn about the city’s development and heritage during our current cultural celebrations and in years to come.”

Related topics:MuseumWork