Museum work underway

Buy photos » Tudor House in Broadway High Street is set to house the new Ashmolean Museum.

BUILDING work has begun on a world renowned museum in Broadway which is expected to bring thousands more people into the village.

The new Ashmolean Museum, located in the High Street's Tudor House, is now set to open next Spring despite original hopes it would be ready later this year.

The project has received substantial support from Worcestershire County Council who are pumping £200,000 into the scheme.

Another £25,000 grant has come from European funding and remaining costs have been raised through private donors and donations from several trusts supporting the museum. The total cost of the project is in the region of £300,000.

The museum, which celebrates the life and unique collections of Elias Ashmole between the 17th and 20th Century, will see the building turn into a historic house which will see each room display a wide range of fascinating objects.

Later in his life, Ashmole donated most of his collections, his antiquarian library and priceless manuscripts to the University of Oxford to create the original Ashmolean Museum.

The museum will have rooms over three floors and display old and unique pieces of furniture, paintings, textiles and much more.

There will also be a gallery space dedicated to rotating and community exhibitions providing local artists with the opportunity to display their work.

Project manager Victoria McGuinness told the Observer: "The new museum will provide a new opportunity for people to see inside one of the oldest and most prominent buildings in Broadway, as well as to see the collections of the Ashmolean in this unique setting.

"It will be a solid contribution to the heritage offering in this region and the benefits are not just for Broadway but for the local area too.

"With the economic climate as it currently is, additional tourists and visitors to the museum will certainly help all retail and eating establishments in the local areas."

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