Museum developments
Will there be new acquisitions for the Museum of Liverpool?
We have already acquired new material for the museum including a Bayko models of the Empire State Building and Speke Airport and Beatles memorabilia. In addition, we have been working on the eight hundred lives project, collecting memories, objects and photographs from a range of Liverpool people. We will be acquiring other material as and when there is the opportunity. We continue to receive many offers to the collection every month and the social history team now run the object identification and offers surgery every Wednesday, 2-4 pm at the Merseyside Maritime Museum.
Will any of the much-missed large objects from the land transport collection be on display?
Two important and well-loved large transport objects have already been selected for display in the Port City gallery: the 1838 locomotive Lion and a third class carriage from the Liverpool Overhead Railway. Over ten other vehicles are already on the object list, which is still at an early stage, in the content development process.
If the museum features the Beatles, how will it differentiate itself from or fit in with the Beatles Story museum?
The museum will focus upon the early years of the Beatles and examine them as a Liverpool phenomenon. It will look both at Liverpool at the time of the Beatles and their relationship with the city as expressed in their music and in their appearances. It will feature fans’ stories. A whole range of different stories related to the Liverpool music scene past and present will be featured. We are discussing the content development with the people at the Beatles Story who have offered their advice as we get into more detail and research for the exhibitions.
There has been some controversy over the location. Is the project putting Liverpool’s World Heritage status under threat?
Absolutely not. UNESCO has given the all-clear to the Museum of Liverpool following a special mission to the city. The team, which included representation from UNESCO and ICOMOS, declared on Tuesday 24 November 2006 that the waterfront building posed no threat to the World Heritage Site.
From the outset the architects have worked very closely with the heritage agencies, English Heritage, CABE and Liverpool City Council, to come up with a design that is of exceptional quality and will enhance and complement both Mann Island and the Pier Head.
Is there any truth in the press reports that the new museum will feature exhibitions about Hillsborough and the murders of Anthony Walker and James Bulger?
Contrary to news reports, we have never said that the Museum of Liverpool will feature an exhibition, temporary or permanent, about the James Bulger tragedy. The Museum of Liverpool will chart the many stories that make up the history of the city’s people in a serious and factual way. Its purpose is educational, and the museum will strive to achieve a balance which reflects the reality of city life.
How will National Museum Liverpool’s archaeology department be involved in the project?
National Museums Liverpool’s field archaeology unit excavated the foundations during the first stage of construction in early 2007. The new museum will be built on the site of the 18th century Manchester Dock, which was filled in the late 1920s. Test-pits not only showed that the dock walls survive, but produced pieces of sugar moulds from one of Liverpool’s most important industries.
You can follow progress with the excavation and see pictures of the finds on the National Museums Liverpool blog, which has postings on 3 January 2007, 8 January 2007, 11 January 2007, 31 January 2007, 1 February 2007, 2 February 2007, 19 February 2007, 2 March 2007, 9 March 2007, 4 April 2007 and 30 April 2007.
The museum will feature objects from the regional archaeology collections, helping to tell of the region’s growth from the earliest human settlers to becoming one of the busiest ports in the world. Additionally there will be a major focus upon the archaeology of the region in the resource centre. Artefacts that were dug up from the museum construction site will form part of our collections and any pieces of significance will go on display in the history and archaeology resource centre within the new museum.
How do the proposals relate to all of the other developments on the Mann Island site?
The whole of the development at Mann Island (including the museum) is overseen by a Steering Group, including National Museums Liverpool, to ensure that the proposals are developed in a co-ordinated way and fully integrate with other initiatives coming forward on Liverpool’s waterfront. To this end, a set of development principles and a master plan was produced in 2005 and has been adopted as Special Planning Guidance by the City Council. English Heritage and the World Heritage Site worked closely with the Steering Group to identify key views to be protected, materials to be used etc for the area in order to guide any development. The programme for building the Museum of Liverpool is independent from the private sector scheme but does have a close relationship to the canal which will run very close to our foundations.
How will the new museum benefit the people of Liverpool?
The new museum will build upon the success of the Museum of Liverpool Life and will continue the valuable work and relationships that we built up there with local people and community groups. The new visitor destination will be of international quality but will have its heart rooted in the local community. This museum has been designed around participation at all levels and both the content and the facilities within the museum will be informed by the needs and aspirations of the people who will become its main users. Through active learning, outreach, collecting and partnership programmes we aim to work to facilitate, and provide a platform and focal point for, showcasing local issues, talent and creative expression.
From the earliest stages we will work with local people in the development of ‘their museum’ through community advisory panels, focus groups and the fostering of community champions for the museums, its content, facilities and programmes. This is already underway but we intend to do much more of this activity across the city over the coming months until the museum’s opening and beyond.
A city history museum should be a forum for debate and opinion. Local people will therefore be encouraged to participate in the museum as a meeting place, and community-led exhibitions will be a major feature. The aim is to challenge preconceptions of the city, breaking down prejudice and feeding into regeneration strategies, to raise community aspirations and promote positive citizenship.
How much will it cost to visit the museum?
All National Museums Liverpool venues are free to visit.
Will there be any community facilities in the building?
The museum has been designed for a high level of community involvement. There are many social and learning spaces within the museum – a brasserie, shop, café, media studio, and resource centre activity rooms, a People’s Gallery and community base and a reminiscence and prayer room. The theatre is equipped for community productions, lectures and small productions. In addition the atrium, dining facilities, lounge areas by the very large top floor windows overlooking the Pier Head and the River and the theatre have been designed to create a fantastic venues for corporate entertaining and the museum’s own public programmes.
What is the connection with 'Museum of Liverpool on the road'?
Museum of Liverpool on the road is a project which is starting to raise awareness about the Museum of Liverpool across Merseyside and beyond. It is a way for us to let people have access to and enjoy some of our collections rather than keeping them hidden away until the new museum is built.
During construction will there be pedestrian access through the site to adjacent areas – Pier Head, the Albert Dock and the ferry terminal?
The riverside walkway will be closed whilst the heavy construction work is being undertaken. It will become available as soon as the programme allows, reopening in 2008 at the latest.
Will there be car parking?
No. Government policy is to encourage reduced reliance on the private motor vehicle and greater use of public transport. This is a location close to the city centre with good public transport links, existing facilities and already high levels of public car parking. The development’s location within a World Heritage site means that space should be maximised to enhance the overall area with high quality developments such as these, rather than swathes of parking.
The excellent public transport links will be improved even further in the future when a bus and taxi drop-off area will be sited outside the museum and there is also provision of 10 disabled parking spaces outside the building.
A traffic assessment has been undertaken as part of the scheme, which indicates that there will be 800 available public off-street car parking spaces within 5 minutes walk of the development, rising to 900 spaces within 10 minutes walk and about 1,900 spaces within 15 minutes walk.
How will service and delivery vehicles access the site?
Service access is via Mann Island to a dedicated service area to the rear of the building, away from the main entrance. It has been designed so that large vehicles will drive into the loading bay and doors will close so that we are not creating an unsightly service yard on the river side of the building, which is an important view. There will be no highway closures during the demolition and construction period.