A dramatic £6.9 million redevelopment is set to be unveiled to the public at Coventry Transport Museum on April 14 2006.
The refurbishment, which includes new-look facilities and a range of new galleries, follows on from the Museum's £7.5 million redevelopment two years ago, and represents an upswing in fortunes for a museum that only 25 years ago was little known and underfunded.
“The Museum has changed beyond all recognition over the last 25 years," said Barry Littlewood, Chief Executive, "and this latest extension and series of new galleries reinforces our dedication to providing dynamic and inspiring exhibitions as a testament to the innovative spirit of the people of Coventry.”
Having celebrated its Silver Jubilee and made the final of the Gulbenkian Museum of Year Awards in 2005 the redevelopment will see the museum increase in size to 13,000 square metres (approximately three acres).
New galleries include a Motorcycle Gallery, which will celebrate the once-thriving British motorcycle industry. Most of the machines on display here were built in Coventry by prominent manufacturers such as Triumph, Francis Barnett and Rudge.
A refurbished Landmarques Gallery will explore Coventry’s transport industry from 1869 to 1948 whilst a new Commercial Vehicle Gallery will showcase a vast collection of vehicles by manufacturers such as Commer, Maudsley, Scammel and AEC, many of which have been stored off site for several years.
“The Museum is one of the most visited attractions in the region and we are confident that both our old friends and new visitors alike will delight in these new additions, of which we are justifiably proud,” added Mr Littlewood.
Education provision at the museum is also going to be improved with the opening of an education suite and 'Technocentre' housing 15 networked PCs, an SDL line and audio-visual facilities.
Coventry Transport Museum also boasts an extensive archive covering the history of Coventry’s transport industry and the British transport industry in general and part of the money is being used to make this more accessible.
Around a million items are currently being researched and catalogued for a new archive facility which will include state of the art conservation systems and a new reading room equipped with power and wireless computer network.
It is anticipated that public access will be made available on an appointment basis as the cataloguing project progresses.
“We now have an even better facility for our visitors and further exciting and ambitious plans for the future,” said Joe Elliott, Chair of the Museum’s Board of Trustees. “We’re looking forward to welcoming even more visitors to Coventry and its transport museum during 2006 and going from strength to strength in forthcoming years.”
Future plans for late 2006 include a Model World Gallery devoted to the Tiatsa Model Collection, now one of the largest collections of die cast models in the world, formed by textile designer Tibo Reich. There are also plans for a new museum café.
