Lottery fund pledges £15m for £66m Burrell Collection revamp

The Burrell Collection building in Pollok Park was opened in 1983

Plans for a £66m revamp of Glasgow's Burrell Collection have received a £15m pledge from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The pledge includes a £1m grant to take forward the project to refurbish the Burrell building, add extra floor space and quadruple the exhibits on display.

The collection will close next year and reopen in 2019 when work is complete.

Sir William Burrell, who died in 1958, gave his thousands of paintings, sculptures, tapestries, ceramics and stained glass to Glasgow in 1944.

A specially-commissioned building to display a portion of the collection was opened in Pollok Park in 1983.

'Greatest gift'

However, the A-listed structure is now in urgent need of repair and redevelopment plans, costing between £60m and £66m, have been drawn up.

Up to half of this will be met by Glasgow City Council with the remainder coming from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and a public fundraising campaign.

Colin McLean, head of the HLF in Scotland, said it was vital to secure the Burrell for future generations.

"The Burrell Collection was one of the greatest gifts ever given to a city and the seed that helped Glasgow grow into the thriving cultural centre it is today," he said.

Sir William Burrell left his priceless collection to Glasgow

"Thanks to National Lottery players, we are delighted to support plans to breathe new life into it so that it can continue to be a place of joy and inspiration for local, national and international visitors for many years to come."

Heritage grant applications are assessed in two rounds. A first-round pass is given when HLF has endorsed outline proposals and earmarked funding, and may also include an immediate award to fund the development of the project.

Detailed proposals are then considered by HLF at the second round and, as long as they have progressed satisfactorily, the money for the project will be confirmed.

Under the Burrell modernisation plans, a new roof and high performance glazing will make the museum more energy-efficient.

'Great potential'

Two new floors of exhibition space will be created so that 90% of the 8,000 objects can be viewed by the public.

The basement stores will also be opened up to public access, and there will be a new entrance, cafe and learning space.

Sir Angus Grossart, chairman of Burrell Renaissance, said: "We have been working hard to liberate the great potential of the Burrell Collection and for Sir William's great gift to be placed on a global stage.

"We deeply appreciate the decision by the Heritage Lottery Fund to support this project which is a ringing endorsement of our plans.

The collection has been affected by water leaks in recent years

"It is yet another, very positive, step as we carry forward the torch handed to us by Sir William and seek to place his extraordinary collection within the international context which it deserves."

Depute council leader and chairman of Glasgow Life, Archie Graham, said: "The Burrell Collection is of international importance and the undoubted jewel in our cultural crown.

"We are delighted that the Heritage Lottery Fund has fully backed our ambitious plans for a full refurbishment and redisplay, which will massively increase access to some of the treasures which Sir William devoted his life to collecting."

During that refurbishment, some of the exhibits will go on loan - against the wishes of Sir William Burrell.

He gifted the collection to Glasgow with a condition they were never loaned, apparently fearing that they may be damaged in transit.

MSPs voted last year to relax that restriction, paving the way for the famous collection to go on tour while redevelopment work is completed.

Loaning out items from the collection will also bring in much-needed revenue.