The new Museum of Making will open to the public for the very first time on Saturday 19th September 2020. The Museum has been designed to inspire those who visit with new creativity, while showcasing Derby’s 300-year history of making and celebrating the area’s rich history of innovation. It’s located in the Derwent Valley Mills UNESCO World Heritage Site, and stands on the site of the world’s first factory, the Derby Silk Mill.
To enter the Museum, visitors will walk through the iconic 18th century Bakewell Gates (part of the original structure of the Silk Mill). An impressive Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engine, hanging from the ceiling, will greet them in the Civic Hall, a triple height glass atrium that will form the entrance to the new Museum.
Visitors will have full access to the 50,000 objects in the museum’s collections, which will showcase a range of items from Derby’s Palaeolithic past and its rich industrial history to the modern day. There will also be bespoke co-working and workshop spaces where those who want to come and create can do just that, making this museum more than just a place where people can look at its collections; as the name suggests, at the Museum of Making, visitors will be inspired to create and make.
Derby Museums is offering the public a once in a lifetime opportunity: to make their mark on the new Museum of Making by having their name, or the name of a loved one, permanently displayed in the museum’s entrance hall.
The museum’s Mark Your Mark plaques are available to sponsor in both large and small sizes, with the proceeds helping to secure the future of Derby Museums for generations to come. Each donation made will be doubled with match funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, meaning that a donation of £250 including gift aid becomes £625 and a gift of £500 becomes £1250, at no extra cost to the sponsor.
Anne Jenkins, Director of England, Midlands and East, The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said:
2020 is set to be a very exciting year as we welcome the Museum of Making’s opening, . NHLF is delighted that its endowment funding to the Museum will match fund any donations that are made, either as a unique Christmas gift or at any other time of the year.
Tony Butler, Executive Director, Derby Museums said:
So far, over 1000 people have been involved in the new Museum of Making, ensuring that the Silk Mill – a site of global significance – will be protected and enhanced for future generations to enjoy. That is why we are delighted to be able to offer people the opportunity to make their mark on the building in this unique way.
The Museum of Making is being developed by Derby Museums, an independent charitable trust that manages two other museums in the city – the Museum and Art Gallery and Pickford’s House. This £17m project is being funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Arts Council England, D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership and a range of trusts and foundations.
Follow the project’s progress on Twitter or via the museum’s Tumblr blog.