Image: The Factory, part of the former Robert Boby works
Suffolk’s Food Museum receives major grants from National Lottery Heritage Fund and Mid Suffolk District Council for five-year development programme
The Food Museum in Stowmarket, Suffolk, has secured £4.9m in funding to support a major transformation and conservation project.
The five-year project, beginning this autumn, will focus on conserving three historic buildings on the site. These comprise a Grade II* listed medieval barn, the 18th-century Abbot’s Hall, and a Victorian factory building that was relocated from Bury St Edmunds to the museum during the 1980s.
The funding will enable the creation of new displays designed to tell the story of food production, utilising objects from the museum’s collection and acquiring new items that reflect 20th and 21st-century experiences.
The capital is made up of £3.9m from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and £1m from Mid Suffolk District Council.
The development will include a new gallery in The Factory building, exploring common shopping basket items and their production journeys. ‘The House’ will feature displays showing domestic food preparation, kitchen technology history, and the cultural significance of food.
Accessibility improvements form part of the project, including surfaced paths and lift installations. A new events space with capacity for 300 people will support expanded schools and events programmes.
The project includes exhibitions on food in wartime, the involvement of Gypsy Roma Traveller communities in harvest, and food as a weapon. Co-production with audiences will be central to the work, involving partnerships with various organisations. New volunteering programmes will encompass corporate and youth volunteering initiatives.
