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Ulster Folk Museum will be undergoing a £50m transformation to help display more of its collection and improve facilities.
The Northern Irish open-air museum celebrates Ulster heritage and the everyday skills passed down through generations across 170 acres of re-erected historical buildings, working farms and cottages.
The living history site is now undergoing a “reawakening project” to improve its facilities and enhance access to its collections.
The project includes plans for a new gallery to display more objects in its vast collection, presenting its industrial heritage artefacts for the first time in decades.
The new industrial exhibition will explore how the rise and fall of Ulster’s industries shaped everyday life.
open image in gallery
Artist rendering of the new Culture Hub building (Hoskins Architects)
A new building called the Culture Hub will also be built at the front of the site, to provide guests with an improved orientation before they explore the rest of the museum. New spaces for school groups and adult learners will also be built.
The project will be funded with £40m from Northern Ireland’s Department for Communities and £10m from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the latter of which is its biggest grant in Northern Ireland in a decade.
The Ulster Folk Museum is cherished for its living history experiences, with daily demonstrations of skills from blacksmithing to traditional baking performed throughout the site.
Living history guides dress up as characters from the past to help visitors explore what life was like as they wander through heritage buildings and settings from throughout Ulster.
The project hopes to spotlight the museum’s “internationally significant” collections to help visitors deepen their understanding of the past.
open image in gallery
Artist rendering of the Industry Zone gallery (Hoskins Architects)
Kathryn Thomson, Chief Executive of National Museums NI, which manages the museum, said: “The Ulster Folk Museum’s collection is a people’s collection. It has never been more relevant to our lives than today. These objects and stories reflect shared experiences and different traditions from across Ulster and help people better understand who we all are.
“This co-ordinated investment allows us to prioritise the themes of identity, the environment, and learning and skills, across the museum experience, ensuring Ulster Folk Museum will serve communities for generations to come.”
She added that some of the facilities across the museum are “no longer fit for purpose” and need improving.
Communities Minister Gordon Lyons said that the project will “see the Ulster Folk Museum transform to a multi-layered heritage and environment resource, which sustains more relevant and active connections with its audiences”.
He added: “The reawakening is not just about reinvestment – it’s about reimagining the museum’s purpose to ensure it thrives for the next 25 years and beyond as a vibrant, relevant and indispensable resource for society.”
Read more: The best museums you should visit in the UK, from contemporary art to local history exhibitions