Great Yarmouth Time and Tide Museum could get £4m revamp

Norfolk museum chiefs have launched an attempt to secure some £4m from the National Heritage Lottery Fund to make changes to Great Yarmouth's Time and Tide Museum.

They want to create new spaces by adapting and glazing some of the museum courtyard space.

Great Yarmouth's Time and Tide Museum could be set for a revamp (Image: Archant)

They said that 'reimagined' space at the heart of the museum would help meet the increasing demand from visitors and schools.

Some of the existing galleries would be refreshed, the layout and visitor journey improved, and collections redisplayed.

The project for the museum, which opened in a Victorian herring curing works in 2004, is called 'Changing Tides - Shaping Our Great Yarmouth'.

An expression of interest was submitted to National Lottery Heritage Fund and the museum service got the green light to lodge a full application for funding.

Robin Hanley, assistant head of museums at Norfolk Museums Service. Pic: Denise Bradley (Image: Archant)

Robin Hanley, assistant head of museums, said: "This project will seek to reinvent and reinterpret the eastern region’s finest surviving herring curing works, creating spaces for engaging audiences and a sustainable future for our museum.

"Staff are now developing the full application, including undertaking a feasibility study and gaining provisional costs for adapting and glazing the courtyard space to accommodate increasing demand from visitors, schools, events and other community groups.

"The project will work with artists and community groups to reinterpret the building’s industrial and maritime heritage, co-producing new artworks to display within the museum.

"Many of the galleries, especially those on the first floor, will be redisplayed in new and engaging ways giving us the opportunity to showcase different collections and maritime themes."

He said the project would also build on the museum's relationship with the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich.