New museum and café plans get £8.5m funding boost

Plans to open a new museum and café in a derelict building have taken a major step forward thanks to an £8.5m grant.

Leaders of Wiltshire Museum hope moving from its current site on Long Street to a Grade II listed Devizes Assize Court will attract more tourists.

David Dawson, director of the museum, said grants from Wiltshire Council and the National Lottery Heritage Fund means they could soon push ahead with the move.

"We are at 90.8% of the funding we need. We're there," he added.

Under the plans, the new museum will include a learning centre for schools, areas for community groups, several exhibition galleries and a café.

The new site will also home Wiltshire Museum's Bronze Age archaeology, which has been designated by the government as being of national significance.

Mr Dawson told BBC Radio Wiltshire the new museum could be a "real magnet" for tourists, particularly those looking to fill a day out between Avebury and Stonehenge visits.

The team behind the museum's transformation is close to its target, having raised about £13m of the £14.8m needed.

The Devizes Assize Court, built in 1835, is on Historic England's heritage at-risk register, so a bulk of the grant money will have to be spent on essential repairs.

Mr Dawson continued: "Lead was stolen from the gutters on the roof which means water has poured in. That's all been fixed through temporary repairs but all the plaster is gone, all the floor is gone, it's a complete wreck."

Wiltshire Museum and the Devizes Assize Court Trust have already carried out consultations with local people for the project - which Wiltshire Council has granted planning permission for.

Simon Williams, town clerk for Devizes Town Council, said the funding news marked a new chapter for Devizes.

"We are so excited, the town has been crying out for this day for a long time," he said.

"This will be another jewel in our crown and we can't wait to see it.

"The new museum and the regeneration of the Wadworth site will have such an impact on this part of the town and bring life back into it."

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