The weekly feature rounds up the latest updates in museum appointments, openings, funding and new exhibitions from across the UK.
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Openings & closures
Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet in Sheffield welcomes visitors back from 3 April. Significant restoration work has been completed on the blowing engine waterwheel, and new display signage has been installed in several historic spaces. A new play area, welcome hub, and nature-inspired play area are planned for later this year, pending planning permissions and archaeological investigations.
The National Maritime Museum will reopen Ocean Court, the central area under its glass roof, on Saturday 7 June to coincide with World Ocean Day. The central space will feature a new floor map using the Spilhaus Projection, described as “a map of the world according to fish,” which focuses on the ocean rather than continents.
The King and Queen visited the National Gallery today to officially reopen its Sainsbury Wing, concluding its two-year capital project. The visit marked the second anniversary of the Coronation of King Charles III – the Royal Patron of the National Gallery – and Queen Camilla.
The King and Queen reopen the National Gallery’s Sainsbury Wing
Appointments
Fritha Costain has been appointed as the new Director of the Royal Signals Museum in Blandford Camp, Dorset. With over 20 years of experience in the museum and heritage sector, Fritha brings a wealth of experience to the role.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has announced the appointment of Jude Kelly CBE, former artistic director of the Southbank Centre, as a non-executive board member for a three-year term.Kelly, who led the Southbank Centre for over a decade, brings cultural leadership experience to the role which began in April. During her tenure at one of Britain’s most prominent arts institutions, she oversaw programming across multiple venues.
The Story Museum in Oxford has announced its next CEO. Conrad Bodman, currently Head of Cultural Programmes at the British Library, will officially take up his role towards the end of August 2025. Bodman will replace Caroline Jones, the museum’s current director and CEO who ends a ten year stint at the museum.
Exhibitions
Incredible art by leading modern and contemporary artists headlines new displays at National Galleries Scotland: Modern One in Edinburgh this summer. Visitors can explore works by Louise Bourgeois, Helen Chadwick, and Robert Mapplethorpe, including Bourgeois’s giant three-metre-high Spider sculpture, alongside pieces by Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso, and Jasleen Kaur. These free ARTIST ROOMS displays open 12 July 2025.
‘Gladiators: Heroes of the Colosseum’ brings to Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds an immersive exhibition featuring original artefacts including helmets and body armour from the gladiatorial barracks at Pompeii. Visitors can explore the daily lives of these ancient warriors through life-scale models, interactive displays, and opportunities to handle replica weapons and armour. The exhibition runs from 28 June 2025 – 2 November 2025.
A live feed from York Railway Station’s Westcad 4 workstation has been added to the Signalling exhibit at the National Railway Museum in York, allowing visitors to observe modern rail signalling operations alongside traditional methods. This collaborative installation with Siemens Mobility showcases the Digital Conflict Resolution system, demonstrating the evolution of railway signalling technology. The new feature was installed during the first week of March 2025.
A free exhibition ‘Ninewells Hospital: Care, Community and Innovation’ explores Dundee’s medical design achievements, featuring surgical artefacts, prototype keyhole surgery tools, and historic prosthetics donated by NHS Tayside and the Tayside Medical History Museum. The collaborative exhibition is on show at V&A Dundee in Scotland until 14 September 2025.
A new exhibition ‘Dress to Impress’ at Polesden Lacey in Surrey explores fashion in art, highlighting how clothing expresses power, politics and personality through paintings, photographs, and historic garments. Objects on display include a coronation robe, Queen Mary’s silk embroidered kimono, an 18th century waistcoat and skirt, alongside new costume designs created by Wimbledon College of Arts students. The exhibition runs from 2 May 2025 – 2 November 2025.
Over 60 local artists have donated postcard-sized artworks for ‘Here and Now’, an exhibition and charity auction at Cornwall Museum and Art Gallery in Truro. The anonymous artworks will be auctioned online to raise funds for the museum’s Dementia Programme, which uses historical collections to support people with mild to moderate dementia. The exhibition runs from 24 May 2023 – 21 June 2023.
Funding
Bath and North East Somerset Council has received initial support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund for the development of Fashion Museum Bath. The museum will be housed in the Grade II listed Old Post Office in Bath’s UNESCO World Heritage site.Development funding of £768,000 has been awarded to help progress plans for a full National Lottery grant application of £7.2m next year.
Fashion Museum Bath’s post office relocation supported with new funding
A new £5.36m exhibition programme will see 20 museums and galleries across all four nations sharing their collections. Art Fund’s Going Places programme will see the museums collaborate to create 40 unique exhibitions over five years, with significant community involvement.
UK museums take part in £5.36m collaborative touring project
