WEARDALE MUSEUM WINS SUBSTANTIAL GRANTS
THIS year, the wonderful Weardale Museum is celebrating its 40 th anniversary and what better way
to do so than with the news that two significant grant application have been successful.
Opened in 1985, the museum was founded in the former manse adjoining High House Methodist
Chapel during a renovation scheme at the chapel. It’s aim was – and is – to preserve the history and
heritage of the Dale.
A charitable trust was set up and in May 1985 the museum opened to its first visitors.
Starting with a small collection based around an authentic lead-miners’ Kitchen, a collection of local
minerals and the story of its historic chapel the Museum has grown and offers an eclectic mix of
local stories filling its Tardis like building.
In particular through the dedicated work of its volunteers the Museum has created a family
history research facility of over 70,000 Weardale individuals which used by people from all over the
world to trace their ancestors.
It provides a sense of place for those who live and those who visit Weardale by telling the stories
of its history.
After the sad closure of High House Chapel, there was concern over whether the museum could
continue and the hardworking and conscientious Trustees continued to work hard at his
preservation. In particular, they assiduously applied for grant funding to help preserve not only the
museum but the historical chapel, near to where John Wesley himself preached.
They are ecstatic at the latest developments in that regard with, following a ten months
application process, almost half a million pounds has been awarded by the Museums and Estates
Development (MEND) fund. This is specifically to ‘undertake specified urgent restoration work to the
chapel and adjoining Manse which houses the museum’.
Added to that, a further £248,655 has been agreed from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to
‘further enhance the interior of the chapel, surrounds, a PV system and for museum development’.
Each grant will be further enhanced by external grants and pledges as follows:
MEND, The Bernard Sunley Foundation, £15,000 for roof related works, NLHF
The Catherine Cookson Charitable Trust, £25,000 for Exhibition Gallery works
The Sir Tom Cowie Charitable Trust, £50,000 for restoration of the Vincent Organ.
This will bring the total value of works and development to be undertaken in this special
anniversary year to an amazing £850,000.
These grants and pledges now bring the total the Trustees have raised since 2019 to £1,356,177.
Trustee, Allan Percival, said, “At the start of the project we had budgeted £325,000 for
restorations and a similar amount for repurposing to create the new Weardale Museum & Heritage
Centre. Unbeknown at that time, the property had other ideas!”
He continued, “Our three-year Development Plan commenced in 2019 and is now in year six!
We’ve addressed several “Critical At Risk of Collapse” structural needs since Covid, in the process
reducing the interior of the chapel to a skeletal shell.
“The MEND award will facilitate the remaining urgent restorations of this historic, 1760, former
High House Methodist Chapel, leading to the 2026 opening of a fivefold expanded new Weardale
Museum & Heritage Centre.
“The MEND grant will also allow the Weardale Museum to undertake vital repairs to the Grade II
listed Chapel and Manse building enabling the opening up of regulated access to the Chapel building
and the return of collections back to the museum. The investment is a decisive step in the wider
redevelopment plans of this rural museum.”
The Trustees have clung to the hope they could perform miracles through thick and thin over the
last six years and their faith in the success of the project has now been rewarded. It is, quite simple,
a dream come true and will secure the future of this very special museum.
Congratulations to the Trustees and thank you on behalf of Weardale folk for your hard work and
tenacity.
For more information about what the Weardale Museum offers, go to the website at
www.weardalemuseum.org.uk
