Editor at @mandhadvisor. Not really on Twitter.
Articles by Alistair Hardaker
Works commences on £8m Brighton Royal Pavilion Garden project
Contractors have arrived on site to begin an £8m restoration of Brighton’s Royal Pavilion Garden. The ‘Garden Fit for a King project’ will see the restoration of the garden’s historic character and improving access to the space for visitors. The project, which has been led by Brighton & Hove Museums, spans 3.3-hectares across the Grade II-listed site. Specialist landscape contractor Blakedown Landscapes has been appointed to carry out the works, which are scheduled for completion by late 2027.
DCMS announces ‘major changes’ to Blue Plaque schemes
DCMS has announced what it calls ‘major changes’ to rules around which buildings are eligible for a blue plaque. The National and Greater London Blue Plaques schemes will now allow blue plaques to be placed on buildings that have been substantially altered or replaced since a historical person or group was connected to them. This includes homes, shops, workplaces, community buildings and streets.
Museum Moves 6 – 12 November 2026
12 November 2026 The weekly feature rounds up the latest updates in museum appointments, openings, funding and new exhibitions from across the UK. Museum Moves is supported by DJW Projects Limited: DJW Projects Limited. DJW Projects Limited is recognised as one of the UK’s leading forces in the audio-visual industry, providing creative lighting, Audio Visual and multimedia solutions globally to achieve the ultimate technological experience, using sound, lighting, vision and interaction.
Who’s missing from the story? Rethinking access to museum interpretation
Museums, galleries, and heritage organisations invest considerable time, expertise, and resources into interpreting their collections. From exhibition films and oral histories to guided tours and curator talks, spoken interpretation helps visitors explore the stories, research, and historical evidence behind the objects and places they encounter. Yet, for visitors who are deaf or hard of hearing, some of this information may remain inaccessible.
Museum as Muck demands fairer museum careers for working class
Museum as Muck, a network of cultural workers from low socio-economic backgrounds in the cultural sector, has revealed a new manifesto. The new manifesto comes eight years after its original, and was co-created with members. It calls for structural change across the cultural sector to tackle what it describes as the exclusion of working-class people. The new manifesto sets out eight demands: Know who works for you: collect, publish and act on socio-economic workforce data.
Ashmolean redisplays £10.2m Botticelli after export bar
An early painting by Sandro Botticelli has gone on display at the Ashmolean in Oxford today, 11 November, more than 90 years after it was last exhibited at the museum. ‘The Virgin and Child Enthroned’, c. 1470, was previously exhibited at the Ashmolean in 1934–5, when it was attributed to Botticelli’s workshop. Now believed to be the work of the artist himself, it returns to the museum with a new understanding of its authorship.
The Peace Museum sets reopening date after redevelopment project
The Peace Museum in Bradford is to reopen this month after the completion of a major capital investment project. Backed by £400,000 extended City of Culture funding from DCMS, the project has seen a new heating and cooling system added, allowing it to open year-round. It will open on Saturday 14 November 2026, revealing objects never previously shown, opening up more of the collection to the public. The existing displays, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, have been retained and adapted.
Unique Lancashire phone booth granted Grade II status
A BT telephone booth in Lancashire has been given Grade II by DCMS, on the advice of Historic England. The phone booth has been awarded the protection as the 100,000th of its kind to be installed in Great Britain. It follows a 2024 campaign by The Twentieth Century Society. The KX100 model telephone kiosk is described as the last generation of public telephone booths. The model is located at Dunsop Bridge in the Ribble Valley, an area defined by the Ordnance Survey as the ‘centre of Great Britain’.
UK gallery sought for £496,000 Rysbrack bust of the Black Prince
A marble bust of Edward the Black Prince by Flemish sculptor Michael Rysbrack has been placed under a temporary export bar in the hope it can be saved for the nation. A temporary export bar has been placed on The Black Prince, a bust of Prince Edward of Woodstock (1330-1376) by Michael Rysbrack, with a recommended price of £496,044.51. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport hopes that a UK gallery or institution will step forward to acquire the work, which dates from around 1735.
Roald Dahl Museum appoints new director
The Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre in Buckinghamshire has appointed a new director ahead of a capital programme. Dan Feeney, currently interim director of the South Ken Culture Quarter, joins the museum later this month. The new appointment is set to lead the museum’s The Unlocking Stories Project, which has been created to conserve the museum’s historic buildings, Roald Dahl Archive and Writing Hut.
IWM secures up to £10m for ‘IWM Lab’ conservation centre
welcomes support for the development of IWM Lab from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and Bloomberg Philanthropies The Imperial War Museums’ plans for a new conservation and storage centre has been backed by around £10m of new funding. The centre is to be based at IWM Duxford, a branch of the Imperial War Museum in Cambridge. It will conserve and preserve the largest objects in IWM’s historic collections.
Abbey House Museum, saved from closure in 2024, gets new designs
Leeds City Council has unveiled concept designs that would redevelop Abbey House Museum in Kirkstall, just two years after it was put forward for potential closure. In 2024 the council proposed closing the museum to address budget pressures. It then agreed to keep the museum open after a public appeal, and pledged to take steps to make it more viable and sustainable.
Museum Moves 30 October – 5 November 2026
Appointments The Natural History Museum has appointed Chris Till as its new director of development. Till joins the museum from Greenpeace International, where he is currently global philanthropy director, leading global partnerships and high-value fundraising programmes. Natural History Museum appoints Greenpeace fundraising lead to director of development The National Army Museum has announced the appointment of Steve Miller MBE as its new director.
Historic England adds 197 sites to Heritage at Risk Register
Historic England has revealed its Heritage at Risk Register for 2026, a list of England’s historic sites Historic England believes are at risk from neglect, decay or inappropriate development. The annual list also counts previously at-risk sites which have since been removed from the list, having been saved and brought back into use. In 2026 Historic England counted 197 sites added and 85 sites saved across England.
The Garden Museum appoints architects for former home of Sir Cedric Morris
The Garden Museum has appointed Ptolemy Dean Architects to lead the architectural development of Benton End in Hadleigh, Suffolk, the next step in a project it describes as a £5m capital scheme to turn the former home of Sir Cedric Morris into a cultural centre. The firm will lead the conservation and restoration of the Grade II* listed house and associated garden structures, and the creation of facilities for learning, exhibitions and residencies.
National Army Museum appoints new director
The National Army Museum has announced the appointment of Steve Miller MBE as its new director. Miller will take up the role in early 2027, succeeding Justin Maciejewski DSO MBE, who stepped down after more than eight years in the role. The new appointment is currently director of Norfolk Museums Service, operator of 10 museums across Norfolk, including Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery.
Ashmolean uses projection to show Egyptian shrine’s original colours
The Ashmolean museum in Oxford will use light projection to show how a 2,700-year-old building would have looked in its original painted colour. The Shrine of King Taharqa, the only free-standing pharaonic building in Britain, is part of Ashmolean’s Ancient Egypt and Sudan galleries. The museum will reconstruct its original painted decoration using coloured projection mapping on the original sandstone walls.
Local fans add their own objects to V&A Dundee’s David Bowie display
V&A Dundee is telling the story of David Bowie’s 1973 Ziggy Stardust concert in the city through a ticket and Polaroids lent by local fans alongside the wider collection. The display marks the first venue on the V&A’s national tour of its Bowie archive. David Bowie: On Tour opens today, and runs until 15 February 2027. and includes more than 100 items from the V&A’s archive.
International Slavery Museum welcomes PM’s slavery apology stance
Liverpool’s International Slavery Museum has welcomed statements made by Prime Minister Andy Burnham, in which he expressed being opening to calls for a formal apology for Britain’s role in the slave trade.
Blackpool’s Showtown launches online collections portal
Showtown in Blackpool has launched an online portal for its collections and says digital exhibitions and a print-on-demand service will follow. The ‘Showtown Backstage’ portal marks the first time its collections have been available online. It is the latest part of Showtown’s Unlocking Collections project, which is funded through Arts Council England’s National Lottery Project Grants programme. Showtown next plans to launch ‘Culture Connect’, a series of curated digital exhibitions.
Natural History Museum appoints Greenpeace fundraising lead to director of development
The Natural History Museum has appointed Chris Till as its new director of development. Till joins the museum from Greenpeace International, where he is currently global philanthropy director, leading global partnerships and high-value fundraising programmes. The new appointment is to take up the role later this month, succeeding Jennifer Cormack.
Glasgow Life receives repatriation request for mummified remains
The operator of Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum has received a repatriation request for a mummified corpse, after it was taken out of public view. The request is in regard to the mummified corpse of the priest Nekht, which was taken off display at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum last month. The museum’s operator Glasgow Life told Advisor it had received a request in the last few days to repatriate the remains to Egypt, but would not say by whom or if the request would be upheld.
Marcon Delivers Exhibition Fit-Out at Calanais Visitor Centre
On the west coast of the Isle of Lewis, the Calanais Standing Stones have overlooked the surrounding landscape for around 5,000 years. Recognised as one of Scotland’s most important prehistoric monuments, they continue to attract visitors from across the world. As part of the redevelopment of the Calanais Visitor Centre, Marcon delivered the exhibition fit-out, signage and graphics package, helping create a visitor experience that reflects the significance of the site.
Museum Moves 23 – 29 October 2026
29 October 2026 The weekly feature rounds up the latest updates in museum appointments, openings, funding and new exhibitions from across the UK. Museum Moves is supported by DJW Projects Limited: DJW Projects Limited. DJW Projects Limited is recognised as one of the UK’s leading forces in the audio-visual industry, providing creative lighting, Audio Visual and multimedia solutions globally to achieve the ultimate technological experience, using sound, lighting, vision and interaction.
Works begins on £14.8m Wilshire Museum’s Grade II* new home
Work has begun on a £14.8m project to move Wiltshire Museum into the restored, Grade II* listed Devizes Assize Court. The judicial building is expected to be fully transformed and open to the public in 2030.
See What’s on Display: Practical Environmental Monitoring for Museums and Heritage Sites
Environmental monitoring is a central part of caring for collections, but its value extends beyond recording whether a room was warm, cool, dry or humid at a particular moment. Museums, galleries, archives and historic properties need to understand how conditions change over time, how different spaces behave and what those patterns mean for collections, buildings and day-to-day operations.
Claudia Winkleman voices new Bayeux Tapestry audio guide at British Museum
British Museum trustee and host of TV show The Traitors, Claudia Winkleman, has narrated a new audio guide for the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition. The 25-minute narrated journey has been built into the British Museum Audio app. The guide has been introduced more than a month after the exhibition opened. In September, a blind man launched legal action against the museum, alleging that the absence of audio description for the exhibition discriminated against blind visitors by denying them equal access.
Manchester Met launches £1m centre for digital analysis of heritage objects
Manchester Metropolitan University has launched a centre that offers museums, archives and heritage organisations access to imaging, scanning and analytical technology. The new Centre for Digital Modelling and Analysis for Cultural Heritage (DMACH) at Manchester Met is funded by nearly £1m from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).
Fashion Museum Bath secures further £7m for 2030 opening
Fashion Museum Bath and the surrounding area of its new home have secured £7m from the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority. The funding will support the delivery of the museum to the Grade II listed Old Post Office, alongside the development of the Milsom Quarter, a 50-year urban regeneration and masterplan project in central Bath led by Bath and North East Somerset Council.
Strikes at London V&A sites paused for talks
26 October 2026 Alistair Hardaker | Image: View of Weston Collections Hall at V&A Storehouse (Kemka Ajoku for V&A) Union warns of further strike action if ACAS-facilitated talks fail to produce an acceptable deal. Share Twitter Facebook Linkedin Print A strike planned across all London V&A sites later this week has been paused by the PCS and Prospect unions.
Heritage Humidity Matters
Maintaining stable indoor humidity in museums, galleries, archives and stately homes is vital for the successful preservation of artefacts. Artworks and antiques contain hygroscopic materials, including wood, textiles, paper and animal products, which absorb moisture from the surrounding air or release it back. Fluctuations in their internal moisture content produce small dimensional changes, causing degradation over time.
Museum of Oxford’s new entry fee to be partially scrapped
Oxford City Council has approved plans to reverse entry fees for local residents at the Museum of Oxford, less than a year after introducing a £4 charge. Last week the council’s Cabinet agreed to pilot free admission for Oxford City residents. The trial will begin in 2027, and will require proof of residency. The decision follows a campaign by local group ‘Save Our Museum’, which describes itself as local Oxford residents who oppose the entry fee.
Four cities shortlisted for UK City of Culture 2029
Competition a key part of the government’s drive to boost pride and economic growth across the country Blackpool, Milton Keynes, Sheffield and Wrexham have been revealed as the four places shortlisted to be UK City of Culture 2029. The winner, UK City of Culture 2029, will be announced early next year, said DCMS. Each shortlisted place is now guaranteed to receive at least £125,000 to take forward elements of their bid, with one place ultimately going on to take the title and a prize fund of £10m.
Designing Beyond Borders
As Lead Designer and a founding member of Luci London, I’m helping establish the practice’s first studio outside the US, and it’s made me reflect on our responsibilities as museum and experience designers. Working internationally provides opportunities to keep learning, challenge our thinking, and build relationships with new people in new places. It’s also made me think more about what it means to design beyond borders.
Museum Moves 16 – 22 October 2026
22 October 2026 The weekly feature rounds up the latest updates in museum appointments, openings, funding and new exhibitions from across the UK. Museum Moves is supported by DJW Projects Limited: DJW Projects Limited. DJW Projects Limited is recognised as one of the UK’s leading forces in the audio-visual industry, providing creative lighting, Audio Visual and multimedia solutions globally to achieve the ultimate technological experience, using sound, lighting, vision and interaction.
Why the Horniman’s award-winning curator refuses the word ‘consultation’
The Museums + Heritage Awards judges described Horniman’s winning programme as going “far beyond consultation to deliver genuine institutional change”. Heba Abd El Gawad, senior curator of anthropology at the Horniman and the project’s lead AHRC research fellow, agreed, and said consultation was never the aim. “I would never describe [the project] as consultation because I’m Egyptian myself.
‘Just like Graceland or Dollywood’: The Beatles Story to expand in new home
Apple Corps, the company founded in 1968 to oversee The Beatles’ creative and business interests, has announced it will take over the running of The Beatles Story museum in Liverpool next year, before moving the attraction to a new Liverpool site in 2028. The Beatles Story museum is currently located at Liverpool’s Royal Albert Dock, where it first opened in May 1990. It is now owned by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.
V&A workers to strike over half term across all sites
V&A workers at two unions are set to take further strike action across its four sites in an ongoing dispute over pay and working conditions. Workers at the V&A Museum in South Kensington, V&A East Museum, V&A Storehouse and Young V&A will strike on Thursday 29 and Friday 30 October 2026, falling over half-term for many schools. The PCS union claims it has yet to receive an improved pay off from the V&A after talks, and remains in dispute over a range of issues.
AI maps 200 years of sea trade from National Archives records
Historians have used AI to scan thousands of hand-written pages from books held at the National Archives in Kew, developing a database of Britain’s merchant shipping past. The University of Southampton project used AI to transform the information from the ‘port books’ into the database and online interactive map.
National Museums Scotland reconstructs face of 2000-year-old Roman inhabitant
National Museums Scotland has reconstructed the face of a man who died on the Roman frontier at Inveresk, near Edinburgh, almost 2,000 years ago. The man, who had travelled hundreds of miles from his birthplace in southern Britain to the shores of the Firth of Forth in Scotland. The reconstruction was created by a team of experts to determine the man’s genetic make-up, geographic origin and life history. He was one of a series of remarkable burials from around the Roman fort at Inveresk.
Bluecoat, England’s oldest arts centre, appoints first creative director
The Bluecoat, England’s oldest arts centre, has appointed its first creative director. Emer Grant, currently artistic director and CEO of Arts Collective Northampton, will join the Liverpool centre in early 2027 as the Bluecoat marks its centenary year. Grant has been appointed to establish an artistic vision and programming model that will shape future artistic practice.
National Gallery makes its audio guide free
The National Gallery has made its audio guide free from today, having previously charged up to £7 for access. From Monday 19 October, the National Gallery Collection Audio Guide will be free for all visitors to its site at Trafalgar Square for the first time. The audio guide is available via visitors’ smartphones, by scanning a QR code in the gallery or clicking a link on the website.
British Museum to announce £30m gift from single supporter
The British Museum is to announce a £30m donation from an anonymous “ single, long-standing supporter” this evening at its British Museum ball. The museum’s director Dr Nicholas Cullinan will announce the gift during this evening’s ball, now in its second year. The funding is separate from the funds raised through the ball, which last year generated around £2.5m. The museum did not immediately respond to a request for more information about the donor.
We The Curious publishes decolonisation guide for science communicators
We The Curious has published a new guide for science communicators to help present work through a decolonising lens. The guide, ‘Decolonising your planetarium’ provides a checklist for science communicators who want to remove barriers to engagement through more inclusive language. It was prepared by Reo Lewis, PhD Researcher in Post Colonial Linguistics at University of Exeter and University of Bristol.
Museum Moves 9 – 15 October 2026
Appointments V&A Dundee has announced the appointment of four new board members, including the former council leader who served during the museum’s opening.
20 sites share £13m in government heritage funding
15 October 2026 Alistair Hardaker | Image: Burslem Market Hall, Queen Street, Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent © Historic England Archive Margate Museum, Dover Castle and Osborne among heritage sites to receive funding alongside 51 places of worship. Share Twitter Facebook Linkedin Print Nearly £13m in government funding has been announced to support 20 heritage sites in repairs and improvements.
How one Roman jar inspired an award-winning project between 20 museums
Out of the Box is a free website that pools objects from twenty museums into free, ready-to-use classroom resources. It features short videos and a no-prep classroom activity around each object, and then points teachers towards the local museum that holds relevant objects. The project won Partnership of the Year at the Museums + Heritage Awards in May. Judges called its success “no mean feat”.
New collections award revealed for M+H Awards 2027
A new award has been announced for the Museums + Heritage Awards 2027 to champion work with collections. A total of 18 awards will open for entry next month, newly organised and renamed into three distinct categories. Among them, an entirely new ‘Best Collections and Collecting Project’ award, part of the Professional Practice and Enterprise category. The newly announced award is presented in partnership with Collections Trust.
Brighton’s Royal Pavilion Garden project secured £1.4m funding boost
An additional £1.4m in funding has been secured for the restoration of Brighton’s Royal Pavilion Garden Restoration Project, closing a funding gap caused by increased costs. Brighton & Hove Museums and Brighton & Hove City Council secured the additional funding for the ‘Garden Fit for a King’ project, which consists of £976,231 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and £500,000 from Historic England.
London’s Rules restaurant building donated to the National Trust
A Covent Garden building that houses the ‘Rules’ restaurant has been given to the National trust by its owner of 40 years, J-P Mayhew. The building at 34-35 Maiden Lane houses what J-P Mayhew claims is the olden restautranty building in London. Valued at more than £11m, its gift to the Trust includes the annual rent and its historic collection items.The Trust said the ongoing income from the gift will go into conservation work each year.
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