If you have walked past the Museum recently, you can see through the fences that it is still a building site. However, inside, the end is in sight for our boiler restoration, and on the top part of the site, our new exhibitions building has been finished!
We still need your help with fundraising!
We still need to raise more money! You can donate online through Charity Choice or through JustGiving. Or why not Adopt an Object - for yourself or as a unique gift.
If your company is interested in sponsoring a display, an interactive exhibit, or a building, get in touch to find out more about our corporate sponsorship packages.
About the project
What has happened recently
The restoration of historic No. 4 Boiler has restarted, but it has been a bit of a rollercoaster! Four rows of new tubes were successfully installed at the end of the summer and the baffles (partly structural pieces that also redirect heat) were cast around them. However, then we discovered that one of the boiler's main posts was severely corroded and needed to be replaced - and finding a British Standard steel beam in imperial measurements (which stopped being made in 1932) was no easy task! Thankfully we have now sourced a new beam, which is being installed this week. We are also testing other beams and structural components to make sure they are safe. The Welding Institute are supporting the project and will be advising us on how to repair and restore other corroded structural components, while retaining its historic value. The end is in sight and we cannot wait to have a working boiler again!
The Museum has appointed Hadley Interiors to build and install our new exhibitions. The specialist company has worked on several award-winning projects, including fit-outs at the Black Country Museum and the National Museum of Wales. Hadley Interiors will produce and install the displays we have designed with Richard Fowler Associates. They include new object-rich exhibitions, an interactive model of the Pumping Station, an atmospheric video showing how rubbish was processed, and new interpretation panels, lighting, and soundscapes across the site.
The rebuilt and refurbished exhibitions, education, and community building is complete! The Museum has now taken possession of it and we have held two events in there in the last month. The new exhibitions on local companies Pye and Cambridge Instrument Company will be installed in January and February. Once the Museum reopens, it will also be available as a space for learning activities and community hire.
The Museum has won more funding towards the redevlopment project! The fixtures, fittings, and equipment in the new community space are being generously financially supported by the Cambridge City Council, which has given us £31,000 from its Section 106 community facilities funding. Garfield Weston has awarded us £10,000 towards new interpretation on Cambridge industries and Cambridgeshire County Council has also given us £945 towards activity stations for younger visitors.
Meanwhile... If you'd prefer to hear our news out loud, we were Cambridge 105 Radio’s Charity of the Month for November so you can listen to us on their podcasts! Listen to Curator Pam talk about the redevelopment project, Education Officer Jinx talk about inspiring children to become engineers, and Assistant Curator Morgan talk about volunteering at the Museum on their website.
