The weekly feature rounds up the latest updates in museum appointments, openings, funding and new exhibitions from across the UK.
Museum Moves is supported by DJW Projects Limited: DJW Projects Limited. DJW Projects Limited is recognised as one of the UK’s leading forces in the audio-visual industry, providing creative lighting, Audio Visual and multimedia solutions globally to achieve the ultimate technological experience, using sound, lighting, vision and interaction.
Appointments
The National Coal Mining Museum for England appoints three new engagement roles. Jude Holland joins the Museum as Head of Learning and Engagement. Devinia Skirrow joins as Head of Audiences, Media and Communications. Alison Cooper joins as Collections Engagement Manager (Exhibitions and Digital), and will also develop a digital strategy for the Museum including virtual tours and digitising the collection.
A new Director and Chair have been appointed at Turner’s House in Twickenham, the only surviving home of the artist Joseph Mallord William Turner.The Board of Turner’s House Trust have announced the appointment of Jennifer Francis as Museum Director and Lucy Littlewood as Chair with immediate effect.
Warburg Institute’s £14.5m redevelopment includes new gallery
Openings & closures
The SS Great Britain in Bristol has opened its new Weather Deck, a 98-metre-long deck installed plank by plank by a specialist team. The opening marks the conclusion of the nine-month conservation project funded by Arts Council England’s Museum Estate and Development Fund, allowing visitors more access while also protecting the 180-year-old iron hull below.
The Chelsea Pensioners’ Stable Block is set to open in October, and with it the Chelsea Pensioners Museum inside, alongside a cafe, shop activity room and the Veterans Outreach Centre. It is part of a £3.2m Soane Stable Yard transformation project, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, which began in 2022.
The National Science and Media Museum in Bradford has announced its Sound and Vision galleries will launch in summer 2025, as it shares designs for its upcoming foyer redesign.
First look at National Science and Media Museum redevelopment plans
Exhibitions
The exhibition ‘Secrets of the Thames: Mudlarking London’s Lost Treasures’ at London Museum Docklands will explore finds from the Thames foreshore, an internationally important archaeological site. Objects set for display include a Tudor wool knitted hat, a Medieval gold ring, an elaborately decorated Viking era dagger, and 18th-century false teeth, all pulled from the mud. The exhibition will run from 4 April 2025 – 1 March 2026.
The Design Museum in London, in collaboration with la Cinémathèque française and Wes Anderson, presents the first retrospective exhibition of the film director’s work as part of its new programme.The exhibition will showcase original props, costumes, and behind-the-scenes insights from Anderson’s personal collection, tracing the evolution of his films from the 1990s to his recent Oscar-winning works. The exhibition runs from 21 November 2025 – 04 May 2026.
Grayson Perry exhibition ‘Delusions of Grandeur’, is part of the newly announced 2025/26 programme at the Wallace Collection. It features new artworks inspired by the museum’s treasures, including ceramics, sculptures, textiles, and paintings. The exhibition showcases Perry’s fictional persona, Shirley Smith, alongside selected pieces from the Collection such as Boucher’s Portrait of Madame de Pompadour, English miniatures, and an 18th-century bronze of Mezzetin. The exhibition runs from 28 March 2025 – 26 October 2025.
Imperial War Museums presents ‘Churchill in Cartoons: Satirising a Statesman’ at IWM London, featuring 24 original artworks from 1909 to 2003. The exhibition showcases how Churchill was portrayed by satirical cartoonists throughout his career, including pieces from British and international artists. The exhibition runs from 29 November 2024 – 23 February 2025.
Walker Art Gallery presents ‘Stitching Souls: Threads of Silence’, a new installation by British-Trinidadian artist Karen McLean memorialising victims of the 1781 Zong Massacre. The display features 132 fabric heads crafted from African textiles, replicas of merchant portraits, and empty frames symbolising silenced histories. The exhibition runs from 28 September 2024 – 2 March 2025.
Holocaust Centre North has announced ‘Finding Ivy: A Life Worth Living’, a temporary exhibition detailing the stories of 13 British-born disabled victims of the Nazi Aktion T4 programme. The exhibition features archival evidence and family accounts, showcasing how these individuals came from loving homes before being institutionalised and ultimately murdered. The exhibition runs from 2 October 2023 – 2 October 2024.
The Scottish Maritime Museum in Irvine Harbourside will host ‘The Secret of Success’, its first community exhibition created by members of the North Ayrshire Ukrainian Community. The exhibition features lino prints and storytelling, exploring themes of adventure and multicultural experiences inspired by Jules Verne’s visits to Scotland and sea journeys. The exhibition runs from 3 October 2023 – 31 October 2023.
