A sneak peek of Ipswich Museum as this stunning landmark enters the final stages of its redevelopment.
A honeycomb of rooms interconnected by narrow corridors, ancient stairways and limited access has made way for impressive, open spaces with lofty ceilings. Floors have been raised, ramps have been installed, and a new lift is in place to make the new Museum accessible for all, from the new toilet facilities in the former basement to the upper galleries.
Carefully selected paints are being applied to walls and woodwork to respect the building’s heritage, while evidence of its different lifecycles is being preserved.
The towering temporary roof, exterior scaffold and protective covering are down, revealing the extensive roof repairs and the result of hours of painstaking restoration work by craftsmen to the exterior decoration.
Shafts of light flood through the restored rooflights and towering windows, while an impressive plant room, full of gleaming copper pipes, dials and switches, will ensure the engine of this world-class museum will operate efficiently.
From the restored Victorian floor tiles in the entrance hall to the creation of fit-for-purpose restoration rooms, every detail in the building has been considered, all watched over by those exhibits that were too large to move, but thoroughly protected. The woolly mammoth will soon move to its new position, in pride of place, ready to welcome in the next phase of this exciting project.
