York museum to open for the first time in 16 months thanks to £400K grant

York Museums Trust has been awarded £423,226 from the second round of the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund. 

It means the trust can reopen the Yorkshire Museum in July, for the first time since March 2020.

The funding also helps the charity remain financially viable following losses of more than £3 million of income since the start of the pandemic.  

The trust, which looks after York Art Gallery, York Castle Museum and York St Mary’s as well as the Yorkshire Museum and Gardens, is one of thousands of cultural organisations across the country which has been awarded money in this round of funding.

Other beneficiaries include the York Archaeological Trust, which runs the Jorvik Viking Centre, and the Theatre Royal.

The charity was awarded £850,000 from the first round of funding in October 2020.  

Much-needed support

Reyahn King, chief executive of York Museums Trust, said: “This money is a lifeline for the trust which gives us the support so badly needed following the devastating impact of the pandemic.  

“We are delighted that it will allow us to reopen the Yorkshire Museum in the summer for the first time in over a year, we can’t wait to welcome visitors back to see some of the city’s, and the country’s, finest treasures.

“It will also ensure we remain financially viable as we hopefully begin to reopen all of our cultural venues in a way that enables us to welcome larger audiences and generate our own income once more.” 

The reopening of the Yorkshire Museum in July will follow the planned reopening of York Castle Museum for guided tours on May 19 and York Art Gallery on May 28, with the major new exhibition Grayson Perry: The Pre-Therapy Years.  

Cultural Recovery Fund recipients April 2021