£1.4m Lottery Funding for Gwynedd’s Culture and Heritage

The oldest intact Bishop’s Palace in Wales is to be revived and opened as a new art gallery and museum thanks to a £1.4m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). The funding awarded to Gwynedd Council in partnership with Bangor University will assist the creation of a new ‘culture quarter’ in Bangor, with the city’s Bishop’s Palace at its heart.

The grant awarded by the HLF will go towards the relocation and the redevelopment of the Gwynedd Museum and Art Gallery, making the city’s previously unseen collections more accessible whilst also bringing one of Bangor’s oldest buildings back into the attention of the public.

Jennifer Stewart, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund in Wales, said, “Some elements of Bangor’s long history are proudly visible to people who visit and live in the city, but other aspects, such as the excellent collections currently held by Bangor University and the Bishop’s Palace itself have not been seen for a long time. It is excellent that HLF funding will now help transform this building and the surrounding area so that this history and heritage can once again be explored and enjoyed by all.”

Pontio partnership

The collection currently held at the old canonry in Bangor will be transferred to the Bishop’s Palace once the building has been renovated. Recognised as the oldest collection in north Wales and one of the most significant collections on Wales’ history outside Sain Ffagan, the collections will be reinterpreted and redisplayed to make them more informative and engaging. The art gallery space will be doubled from existing space and a dedicated Learning Space form an important part of the capital works.

Having previously received a development grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund the project has already started preparatory work, working closely with Bangor University and the Pontio project to ensure a strong presence for the collections and new learning opportunities. In addition, fundraising during the development phase of the project resulted in £400,000 grant from the Môn Menai Regeneration fund.

Councillor John Wynn Jones, Gwynedd Council Cabinet Member for Economy welcomed the HLF funding and Gwynedd Council Leader, Councillor Dyfed Edwards added: “This is excellent news – the Lottery funding will form a key part of the funding package that will allow us to realise the much-anticipated changes to the Gwynedd Museum and Art Gallery. This is an important milestone for an ambitious partnership project, which will help us safeguard and improve the way our culture and heritage is cared for, shared and presented to communities across Gwynedd.”

Gwynedd-wide engagement

In addition to the transformation of the Bishop’s Palace, the new museum and gallery will also act as a hub for the county of Gwynedd. Five locations from across the county will be able to showcase regionally and locally significant collections. Through additional staff capacity and the development of a strong volunteer structure, the project will also ensure the delivery of activities, projects, training, exhibitions, digital collections and apps as a way of engaging and connecting people of all ages with their culture and heritage.

The hope is that the project will bring about a county-wide transformation of how people get involved with their heritage and allow for people from all parts of the region to tell and share the ‘story of Gwynedd’. Dr David Roberts, Registrar of Bangor University, said: “This is fantastic news for the region and for the University and the new Museum & Art Gallery will complement magnificently the nearby Pontio arts and innovation development.”

Jeremy Yates RCA, on behalf of the Friends of Gwynedd Museum and Art Gallery stated; “The Friends wholeheartedly welcome this news and anticipate a close involvement with the museum and gallery in its new setting of the Bishop’s Palace in Bangor. We hope to be at the heart of the growing volunteering network vital to the success of the venture, and look forward to contributing with the local expertise and experience of our membership.”