News

The Almonry Museum’s restoration has received a funding boost thanks to initial support of £393,219 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, it was announced today. Made possible thanks to National Lottery players, the money will enhance ongoing efforts to transform the museum and the stories it tells.

Once part of the Benedictine Abbey in Evesham, The Almonry was the home of the Almoner, one of the monks.  It was the Almoner’s job to provide alms to the poor and needy of the town.  The Almonry was built around 1390 and has been an important part of the town for centuries, serving as a home, offices, possibly and inn and even a tearoom in the early part of the C20th.  In 1957 the Vale of Evesham Historical Society opened a small museum occupying 2 rooms, for a season.  The success of that season saw the museum grow and eventually occupy all the rooms of the building.

The Almonry is in the midst of major repairs to save the fabric of the 14^th century timber-framed building, supported by £2.1m from Arts Council England’s Museum Estate and Development Fund (MEND). The MEND project will oversee the urgent repair of the building including roof and timber frame works, replacing the heating and lighting, repairs to doors and windows and replacement rainwater goods, alongside improvements to toilets and physical access around the building.

This development grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund supports two years of planning for what comes next for the Museum. The views of volunteers, community groups, schools and individuals will be integral as the Museum co-curates with local communities to identify themes, stories, events and activities to interpret and re-interpret shared histories of Evesham. 

Getting this grant now means the two pots of funding work alongside each other. The building’s hidden stories can be captured as they are revealed during construction work, and the Museum will have the resources to discover new stories and interpretations of Evesham and Vale’s wider history.

The Heritage Fund’s development grant of £393,219 will help The Almonry Museum progress their plans for the museum’s future, enabling them to apply for a full National Lottery grant of around £1.5million at a later date.

This funding is essential to realise Evesham Town Council’s plans to restore, repair and re-interpret the history of the building and Evesham.  Without it, the Museum wouldn’t be able to tell the stories of the people of the Vale, the residents of the Almonry and the wider history of the town.

The project will enable the Almonry Museum to carry out essential collection care and conservation work, including cataloguing of collections, providing new, museum standard storage and new display cases that will help in the display and care of objects.

The Museum will be investigating the potential for creating a new learning space that can be used by schools or groups and utilising sustainable materials to build and furnish the area including rainwater harvesting tanks.  Alongside this, the gardens will be redesigned and planted to reflect the history of the building and the Vale and will reflect the biodiversity of the area.

In the long term, this project will ensure a long and secure future for The Almonry Museum, putting it at the heart of Evesham’s communities.

The Almonry Museum will be running a series of community co-curation events, activities and sessions throughout the project. To stay up to date you can follow the museum on Facebook, Instagram or the website and you can visit the new Gift Shop on Merstow Green for information on the events and progress on the project.

Ashleigh Jayes from The Almonry Museum said: “We are thrilled to have received this initial support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players we can now develop our plans to Re-Imagine the Almonry, improve our collections care, our displays, the gardens, everything!  The opportunity to work so closely with our communities is unprecedented in the museum’s history and I’m really looking forward to sharing ideas and taking inspiration from our communities.’

Cllr John Clatworthy, Mayor of Evesham, said: “This is excellent news for Evesham and everyone who values our local heritage. The Almonry Museum is a much-loved part of the town, and this funding will help make it an even more welcoming place to visit. I hope it encourages more residents and visitors to get involved and enjoy everything the museum has to offer.”

The National Lottery Heritage Fund is the largest funder for the UK’s heritage. Using money raised by National Lottery players we support projects that connect people and communities to heritage. Our vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future. From historic buildings, our industrial legacy and the natural environment, to collections, traditions, stories and more. Heritage can be anything from the past that people value and want to pass on to future generations. We believe in the power of heritage to ignite the imagination, offer joy and inspiration, and to build pride in place and connection to the past. https://www.heritagefund.org.uk

We are still fundraising to support the project and we welcome any support you can offer. If you would like to make a donation, sponsor a new Cotswold Stone slate for our roof, or join the Friends of the Almonry Museum, you can do so via this link or you can visit us at Merstow Green.