Image: The Old Post Office building in Bath, the location of the new Fashion Museum Bath. Credit 6a Architects
Bath’s historic Old Post Office will be transformed into a fashion museum with initial National Lottery support and plans for a £7.2m full grant application.
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 £7.2million next year.
The funding will support museum design progress and community consultation programmes with various audiences and local partners.
Fashion Museum Bath’s collection is designated as being of outstanding significance, containing 100,000 items spanning 400 years. The variety and extent of the collection makes it rare and unusual on an international scale.
Heritage Fund support will transform access to the collection through research and an innovative digital programme, including a new online catalogue making the collection available worldwide.
The funding will also support the sustainable retrofit of the Old Post Office building, creating a ‘Museum on the high street’ with new gallery and learning spaces.
The museum will champion fashion as a global industry and expression of creativity, exploring it as an artform while celebrating designers, makers, and wearers through various programmes.
As an anchor institution in Bath’s Milsom Quarter, the museum will drive economic growth, generate employment opportunities, and support the local creative economy.
The museum is anticipated to reopen in 2030, with community engagement activities planned throughout the development phase.
Stuart McLeod, Director of England – London & South at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said the organisation was “looking forward to continuing to work with the team as they progress their plans to apply for a full National Lottery grant at a later date.”
Helen Goodwin, the new Mayor of the West of England, said the reopened museum would be “another jewel in our crown in this part of the West, alongside iconic attractions like the Roman Baths and Jane Austen Centre, showcasing even more of our cultural and creative heritage; creating new jobs; and attracting more investment and visitors.”
