Shrewsbury's new Museum & Art Gallery opens to the public
The doors at Shrewsbury’s new Museum & Art Gallery at The Music Hall officially open to the public today.
The new Museum & Art Gallery is the result of a ground-breaking restoration project that has cost more than £10m.
The project has seen Shrewsbury’s Victorian Music Hall and the 13th century Vaughan’s mansion - renovated and restored to create a vast new museum and gallery space, together with function rooms suitable for meetings, conferences and even weddings.
Visitors to the new Museum & Art Gallery will go on a journey of discovery starting in the time when mammoths roamed, unlocking stories from across the entire county of Shropshire; stories of discovery and engineering creativity that influenced the world. The entire collection has been reimagined for a modern audience, with exhibitions exploring subjects from geology to natural history via art, archaeology and costume.
The Museum holds some of the nation’s most treasured Roman artefacts, including an ornate silver mirror discovered at nearby Wroxeter, one of only a handful still existing from the period. The Medieval galleries explore the development of castles, abbeys and towns in Shropshire. The Civil War period gallery highlights visits by King Charles I to the county with a grim reminder of his execution.
In the Shropshire Gallery there are many special exhibits including an area about scientist Charles Darwin, who was born and educated in Shrewsbury, as well as his contemporaries such as Henry Blunt, who mapped the moon.
An exhibition from Frank Cohen’s internationally-acclaimed collection of contemporary art, specially curated for the launch, will also be on show from 1 April.
The Frank Cohen exhibition features artworks by national and international artists such as Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin, chosen for the way they resonate with the Museum’s Darwinian theme. The Frank Cohen exhibition will remain open until Monday 30 June.
The Museum & Art Gallery is also the new location for the town’s Visitor Information Centre and the starting point for walking tours.
Admission to the Museum & Art Gallery including the Frank Cohen exhibition is just £4.00 per adult, £3.50 for senior citizens and £2.00 per child with reductions for seniors and groups. Entry is free for children aged 0 to 4. Entry to the Roman and Pre-history exhibition is free.
