£5m contract signed to transform pottery museum

A £5m contract has been signed to transform a museum, with construction work now under way.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council has appointed construction company Seddon for the works at Potteries Museum & Art Gallery in Hanley, which will include a new entrance, a foyer cafe and improved public spaces.

Preparatory works have been completed and the main building work will begin this month, the council said.

The museum is set to reopen in stages from 28 March.

Plans also include increased open storage, allowing artefacts to be seen by visitors when they are not on formal display.

An artist-in-residence room will be created, enabling artists to work alongside the museum's collections and create new pieces inspired by them. The council said this would strengthen links "between the city's history and its modern culture and craft."

Councillor Sarah Hill, cabinet member for finance, anti-poverty and corporate services, said the investment "protects one of Stoke-on-Trent's most important cultural assets".

The redevelopment is being paid for with £5m from the Cultural Development Fund, which is funded by Arts Council England and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

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