Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery has announced the next stage of its phased reopening. Several gallery spaces will re-open on Thursday, October 24.
It comes after urgent maintenance works to the heating, electrics, lifts and roofing was completed on schedule across the entire Council House complex. The much-loved attraction closed during the pandemic.
It reopened briefly for the Commonwealth Games before closing again for the works to be carried out. Earlier this year it began the first phase of gradual reopening.
Read more: Huge summer festival in Birmingham scrapped as organisers say ‘there is no need to contact us’
Today it was announced that Round Room Gallery, Industrial Gallery, Bridge Gallery and Edwardian Tearooms will reopen in time for October half-term week. The iconic Round Room will be at the heart of the reopening with new and familiar artworks back on display surrounding Jacob Epstein’s stunning bronze sculpture, Lucifer.
The Industrial Gallery will reopen with a new ‘Made in Birmingham’ display – celebrating the city of a thousand trades, its self-deprecating humour, creative people and their worldwide impact. Popular Tearooms and shop will also reopen in October for hot drinks, a new food and drink menu and unique gift collections and collaborations with local artists and makers in the museum shop.
Due to visitor demand, the Victorian Radicals exhibition of world-famous Pre-Raphaelite art will continue in The Gas Hall until at least Christmas 2024. Sara Wajid and Zak Mensah, co-CEOs at Birmingham Museums Trust, said in a joint statement: “We know this is news that a lot of people have been waiting for.
“We’re so happy to be able to open more of Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. We can’t wait to welcome visitors again in time for October half-term.
“It’s such an important institution for the people of Birmingham and we’ve made those people central to the new displays that you will all be able to see. When we re-opened the museum with ‘pop-up’ displays during the Commonwealth Games in 2022, visitors told us they loved the refresh and seeing and feeling the stories of all Birmingham people front and centre.
“We heard that, as well as the message that people wanted to see more of the collection, understand more about our history and needed more for families and children.”
Click here for more information on the key galleries set to reopen.