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'Challenging' roof repairs to city museum begin

News imageNorth East Museums Keith Merrin, Director of North East Museums and Nick Butterley, Customer & Facilities Manager of Discovery Museum are smiling outside the museum while holding protective white helmets. Merrin is wearing a brown tweed jacket and trousers with a black turtle neck and glasses. He has short brown hair. Butterley is wearing a high visibility jacket on top of a blue jumper. He has glasses, short brown hair and beard. The blue arched sign reading Discovery Museum at the venue's entrance is next to him.North East Museums
North East Museums director Keith Merrin (left) said it would be "business as usual" for visitors and staff

The restoration of a museum's roof has started following a £3m grant.

The repairs, at The Discovery Museum, in Newcastle's Grade II listed Blandford House, are expected to be completed by spring 2027.

The museum and Tyne & Wear Archives will remain open to the public, although there will be occasional short closures to allow for necessary work.

Director of North East Museums Keith Merrin said it would be "business as usual" for museum visitors and staff.

"This magnificent building reflects the story of Newcastle itself, well before the museum was established here," he said.

"Please bear with us while we undertake this necessary work."

Contractors are now on site at the museum, and high protective hoardings will be built.

News imageNorth East Museums The Discovery Museum is a red-brick Victorian building with tall windows in its middle section. Two green dome-shaped towers are sitting on each of its ends. There is a tank in front of it, landscaped lawn and young trees. The sky above is blue with a few scattered clouds. North East Museums
The building has been used as a museum for 45 years

Parking in Blandford Square will be affected and people are advised to use the Grainger Town multi-storey car park on Waterloo Street instead.

The work is supported through a £3,079,042 grant from the DCMS Museum Estate and Development Fund, which is administered by Arts Council England.

Newcastle City Council, which owns the building, is also contributing £865,000 towards work on the bricks and windows.

Council leader Karen Kilgour said the museum attracted more than 300,000 visits a year.

"It's six storeys high so this will be a challenging project, but I am confident that when it's complete the building will be well equipped to deal with future generations of visitors," she said.

Blandford House was once the headquarters of the Cooperative Wholesale Society.

It was finished in 1899 by Newcastle architects Oliver & Leeson, and has been a museum since 1981.

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