Hear the untold stories of enslaved people and learn about historical and contemporary slavery.
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Hear the untold stories of enslaved people and learn about historical and contemporary slavery.
About the International Slavery Museum
The International Slavery Museum has received £80,000 funding from the DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund towards ambitious expansion plans to expand into the adjacent Dock Traffic Office building.
The 'Freedom Live' project will see the Dock Traffic Office opening to the public as early as this summer. It will offer new spaces that complement the existing International Slavery Museum with new flexible displays for collections and exhibitions as well as community and educational areas.
This is the first stage of a longer term plan to link the Dock Traffic Office building with the existing Slavery Museum via a glass walkway. This development work is subject to further funding.
"This initial funding is both great news for National Museums Liverpool and the city. It means we can move forward with our plans to expand the museum.
Since opening in 2007 the museum has grown in strength and influence. In order for us to keep momentum as a campaigning museum our aspiration is to expand and evolve.
By opening the Dock Traffic Office to the public we hope to encourage more community involvement and engagement with collections, exhibitions and campaigns."
Dr Richard Benjamin, head of the International Slavery Museum.
In May 2010 planning permission was granted for our exciting plans to extend the International Slavery Museum.
Currently the museum is contained within the Merseyside Maritime Museum and entered on the third floor. The new plans will see the museum have its own entrance at the Dock Traffic Office and a striking glass walkway will connect the two buildings.
As part of the expansion the Dock Traffic Office will also house a new Education and Exhibition resource centre for the International Slavery Museum.
At present the Dock Traffic Office building houses National Museums Liverpool staff. The Grade 1 listed building was built in 1848 and in recent years was the home of Granada TV.
The scheme has been designed by Liverpool architects Austin-Smith:Lord, who are based in the Port of Liverpool Building.
Illustration of the glass walkway between the Dock Traffic Office and International Slavery Museum displays in the Maritime Museum building
The planned Education and Exhibition centre will be a state of the art resource including exhibition space, education and research facilities, a resource centre and community zones.
Not only will the centre offer facilities for those interested in both historical and contemporary aspects of slavery but it aims to contribute to greater understanding and informed debate about slavery and its many legacies. It will examine the cultural and social effects of the transatlantic slave trade, slavery and resistance on all societies involved.
The education and exhibition centre will enable the International Slavery Museum to become the world's leading museum of historic and contemporary slavery and related issues such as human rights and social justice. The centre will bring a further dimension to the interpretation of the history and legacies of the transatlantic slave trade - ensuring that the International Slavery Museum is seen nationally and internationally as a world-class and cutting edge visitor attraction.