Stained Glass Museum awarded funding for developing future plan
(9 Mar. 2018)

The Stained Glass Museum wins National Lottery support to investigate options for the museum's future development, with the aim of ensuring the museum is more accessible and resilient in the future.
The Stained Glass Museum in Ely has received a grant of up to £88,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). This exciting two-year project, awarded under the Resilient Heritage scheme, will investigate options and produce a masterplan for the museum’s future development. The project has been made possible by money raised by National Lottery players and will begin in April 2018.

The project, aptly named ‘Windows onto the future’, will enable the museum’s trustees and senior management team to form a vision and strategic plan for a more accessible, sustainable and resilient museum with improved visitor facilities, which meet the needs of a growing visitor base and diverse audiences. The strategic masterplan will be developed with the assistance of external consultants and consultations with stakeholders and audiences.

This is the second time the National Lottery has supported the Museum in making step-changes in its development. The HLF helped fund the relocation and refurbishment of the museum in the south triforium of Ely Cathedral in the late 1990s.

The Stained Glass Museum is the only museum dedicated to stained glass in the UK. It was founded in 1972 and opened to the public in the north triforium of Ely Cathedral in 1979. The museum has an internationally-significant collection of stained glass illustrating the development of the art from the medieval period to the present day. Through its collections, educational visits for schools and other groups, diverse series of public events, and practical glass workshops for adults and children the museum offers a variety of opportunities for engaging with our stained glass heritage.

Commenting on the award, the museum’s Curator, Jasmine Allen, said: 'The Stained Glass Museum has grown considerably since its successful redevelopment in the late-1990s and we are delighted to have received National Lottery funding to explore options and develop plans for the next stage of its future development.'

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