Museum move a step closer with £350k funding boost

The museum has already secured commitments of £1.25m from other sources

A museum's bid to relocate to a new site has moved a step closer, following the allocation of a further £350,000 in council funding towards the project.

Wiltshire Museum has received the money from Wiltshire Council's Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) fund to move from its current home on Long Street in Devizes, to the Assize Court building on Northgate Street.

The project aims to bring one of the town's "most significant heritage buildings" back into use, as part of a centrepiece for the wider regeneration of the area.

Councillor Helen Belcher said: "We are proud to support this ambitious and visionary project."

The Grade II* Listed Assize Court, which is owned by the Devizes Assize Courts Trust (DACT), is currently on the Historic England Heritage at Risk Register.

The museum has already secured £300,748 in development funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) to prepare a detailed project plan.

It intends to submit a major funding bid to NLHF in the summer, seeking a further £8m towards the total estimated £14m project cost.

The money allocated from the CIL fund will be used to strengthen the museum's business case to secure that further funding.

Wiltshire Council has already committed to support the project with up to £2m, but only if the fundraising falls short.

'A fantastic opportunity'

Ms Belcher, the cabinet member for economic development, regeneration and assets, said that move is "a fantastic opportunity to create a first-rate museum in the heart of the town, while saving a landmark building of national importance."

Caroline Kay, chair of trustees at Wiltshire Museum, called the investment a "timely and generous commitment", adding that it would provide "a real boost for the future heritage of our county and the museum's continuing and growing work."