The weekly feature rounds up the latest updates in museum appointments, openings, funding and new exhibitions from across the UK.
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Appointments
The Clifton Suspension Bridge Trust has appointed Verity Jones as its new Bridge Archivist. The role, created to preserve the heritage of the Bristol landmark, follows the museum’s achievement of full accreditation. Jones joins from a background in archival work at institutions including the UK Parliament, Imperial College London and the University of the Arts London. She will be responsible for cataloguing the bridge’s historical records and plans to refresh the museum’s mezzanine displays every six months, as well as exploring digitisation of the collection. The trust says the appointment will also support its work engaging schools and colleges with the bridge’s history.
Professor Stephen Belcher CBE and Tim Dugher have been reappointed by the Prime Minister as Trustees of the Science Museum Group, each for a four-year term running from 1 June 2026 to 31 May 2030. Professor Belcher is Chief Scientist at the Met Office and chairs the World Meteorological Organisation’s Science Advisory Panel. He received a CBE in the 2026 New Year Honours for his contributions to climate science. Dugher is a Chartered Engineer with 48 years’ experience in the rail industry, having held senior roles including COO of Angel Trains Limited, and has served on a number of industry boards.
Openings & closures
The Museum of Cambridge, an independent charity housed in the 17th-century White Horse Inn, will reduce its opening days from 30 March 2026 due to rising operational costs. The museum, which currently opens six days a week during term time, will move to a four-day week, Friday to Monday, with an additional day on Thursdays during school holidays. Staff numbers will also be cut by a third. Director Alex Smaridge said the changes would allow the museum to act strategically and focus on securing its long-term future. It receives support through Cambridge City Council’s Community Grants programme, the Cambridgeshire Community Foundation and the Esmé Fairbairn Collections Fund.
Exhibitions
Queen Elizabeth II Private Apartment Tours
Palace of Holyroodhouse | Edinburgh
Opening: 21 May 2026 – Closing: 10 September 2026
Small group tours offer a unique glimpse into the private apartments used by Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip during her 70-year reign at the Palace of Holyroodhouse. The tours include the Royal Breakfast Room, Dressing Room featuring three royal ensembles, and the Sitting Room, along with furniture from the Royal Collection and works from Prince Philip’s collection of contemporary Scottish art. Available only in 2026 to mark the centenary of Queen Elizabeth II’s birth, the tours run for 100 days.
Project Coral and the Journey of Hope
Horniman Museum and Gardens | London
Opening: 21 March 2026
A photographic display featuring images from Hope Reef in Indonesia and behind-the-scenes photographs at the Horniman Aquarium. The exhibition highlights the connections between the museum’s scientific breakthroughs in coral reproduction and coral reef restoration efforts in the ocean. The display includes work by Dr Jamie Craggs and photographer Ikoz (Muhammad Rizky Madjid), and features a tactile print of spawning coral created using Canon’s elevated print technology.
Tenderness and Rage
Wellcome Collection | London
Opening: 29 May 2026 – Closing: 30 May 2027
The display explores the history of HIV from the UK’s 1980-90s AIDS epidemic to contemporary experiences in the Global South through stories of protest and care, photography, film and archival material. It reveals how activist groups and volunteer-led organisations have supported and campaigned for the dignity and human rights of those living with HIV. The exhibition spotlights the often-overlooked experience of women living with HIV in the UK and globally.
Constable: A Cast of Characters
Christchurch Mansion | Ipswich
Opening: 28 March 2026 – Closing: 14 June 2026
This exhibition marks the 250-year celebrations of John Constable’s birth, featuring over 100 works and objects including portraits, sketches and landscapes by Constable and others. The exhibition explores the people who helped shape Constable’s artistic development, from family members to patrons and supporters, and includes new works by his direct descendant, sculptor Sasha Constable. Personal items on display include his wife’s wedding ring, his wooden paint box, and various family keepsakes.
Roger Wagner: The Seeds of Eternity
Auckland Palace | Bishop Auckland
Opening: 18 February 2026 – Closing: 31 December 2026
The exhibition brings together more than 20 paintings spanning Roger Wagner’s career, alongside sketches, studies and poems, displayed in the Bishop Trevor Gallery. Featured works include ‘Menorah’ (1993) and ‘The Harvest is the End of the World and the Reapers are Angels’ (1989), exhibited together for the first time in more than 30 years. The show traces Wagner’s artistic development from early works such as ‘Ash Wednesday’ (1982) through to monumental canvases, including selections from his ‘Out of the Whirlwind’ series based on the Book of Job.
Flower Fairies™: Enchantment by the Sea
Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum | Bournemouth
Opening: 28 March 2026 – Closing: 4 October 2026
A major exhibition celebrating the artistry of Cicely Mary Barker, featuring 30 original Flower Fairies illustrations alongside sketches, preparatory studies, and never-before-seen landscape paintings of Dorset. The exhibition reveals the creative process behind the iconic works first published in 1923, combining botanical accuracy with fairy magic. Interactive opportunities include fairy trails through the historic house and gardens, with special focus on Barker’s Dorset landscapes including scenes from Swanage, Highcliffe and Hengistbury Head.
Jack White: These Thoughts May Disappear
Newport Street Gallery | London
Opening: 29 May 2026 – Closing: 13 September 2026
A major exhibition of works by American artist Jack White, marking his first public showing of art. The exhibition includes sculptures made with found objects, interactive works, installations and furniture design products. Highlights feature a remake of White’s 2015 sculpture ‘The Red Tree’, transforming a decaying tree into artwork.
Funding
The SS Great Britain Trust has launched a six-week fundraising appeal to raise £180,000 towards a new museum experience at the historic ship in Bristol. The trust closed its 20-year-old Dockyard Museum on 23 February to make way for the redevelopment, which already has £1.3 million in backing. If the target is met, the reimagined museum is expected to open in July 2026. As part of the “All Hands On Deck” campaign, the trust is staging an endurance competition on 21 March in which participants must keep their hands on the ship’s deck as long as possible, with exclusive access to the vessel offered as the prize. Public donations are also being sought.
