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London’s Horniman Museum has been awarded £5.7m by the National Lottery Heritage Fund for its Nature + Love project
Lauren Heath-Jones | Planet Attractions | 02 Aug 2023
Works are expected to begin in 2024 pending planning approval Credit: Andrew Lee
The National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) has awarded £5.7m (US$7.3m, €6.7m) to London’s Horniman Museum to support its £10m (US$13m, €12m) Nature + Love project.
Announced earlier this year, the project aims to ‘reinvigorate and re-interpret’ the museum, which is housed inside a Grade II-listed building in the British capital, and its surrounding hilltop gardens.
Works are expected to begin in 2024, pending planning approval, and will see several improvements made to the museum’s National History Gallery, as well as the development of a number of new areas including the Action Zone and the Nature Explorers Adventure Zone.
Focused on local wildlife, the Action Zone will be aimed at families and younger children and will feature several interactive elements.
The Nature Explorers Adventure Zone, meanwhile, will be housed on a disused model boating pond and will feature a nature play area and children’s café.
Plans will also see several underused areas of the estate converted into visitor experiences, including the garden’s South Downs, which will be transformed into the Sustainable Gardening Zone offering community facilities and a plant nursery.
The project is being helmed by London-based architecture practice Feilden Fowles and landscape architects J&L Gibbons. The indoor gallery display redesign is to be carried out by exhibition designers Studio MB.
In addition to the NLHF funding, the project is also being supported by £1.4m (US$1.8m, €1.7m) from the British Government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and £250,000 (US$320,000, €290,000) from the Foyle Foundation. The museum has also raised £200,000 (US$255,000, €230,000) so far from a combination of trustee donations and several private endowments. The museum also previously received £475,000 (US$600,000, €550,000) in Stage 1 development funding from the Heritage Fund for the project and is currently seeking funding to cover the remaining costs.
“These plans brilliantly enact our ambition to celebrate and foster a love of nature, both inside the museum and outside in our gardens,” said Nick Merriman, chief executive and content director at the Horniman Museum.
Stuart McLeod, director of England – London and South at NLHF, added: “The space will be transformed to inspire the next generation to engage and immerse themselves in learning about natural heritage and our climate.
“Heritage is a brilliant way to bring people together and projects like these are integral to connect more people with the nature and wildlife around them.”
Museums and galleries
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