Northumberland Hall
All the Latest News !
Businesses and residents invited to drop-in event. Bailiffgate Museum & Gallery and Northumberland County Council are hosting a drop-in event in the Northumberland Hall on Thu. 16th April 2-6pm..
Learn more about the latest plans taking place in Alnwick. Talk to the Bailiffgate team about the refurbishment of the Hall and Bailiffgate plans to relocate in 2028. Talk to County Council teams about the latest plans to improve Alnwick Bus Station and the improvements to “The Cobbles” as well as progress on the Alnwick Borderlands Place Programme.
Teams from Bailiffgate and Officers from the County Council will be available to discuss the exciting plans. Drop-in event are key to keeping local people updated on the developments and give an opportunity to ask questions.
Jean Humphrys, Chair of Trustees at Bailiffgate said “It is an exciting time to see projects like the development of Northumberland Hall taking shape. Bailiffgate Trustees are thrilled to set out on this journey with you. Please come along to hear more about the plans you have supported so strongly. We look forward to talking to you and answering any questions you may have”.
20/2/2026 Garfield Weston Foundation Further excellent news! Bailiffgate has been awarded £200,000 from the Garfield Weston Foundation, a family founded grant-maker supporting charities operating in a wide variety of sectors across the UK that make a positive difference within their communities. This generous funding will allow us to start the restoration and refurbishment of Northumberland Hall in Alnwick, the new home of Bailiffgate Museum & Gallery. We are extremely grateful to the Garfield Weston Foundation for helping us raise the necessary funds to start this project.Read more about our exciting plans here.
13/2/2026 We are delighted to announce some incredible news! Bailiffgate Museum & Gallery have been awarded £75,000 from the Wolfson Foundation - an independent grant-making charity with a focus on education and research. We are extremely grateful to the Wolfson Foundation for helping us raise the necessary funds to start this project. Read more about our exciting plans here: add in link to full press release here
06/02/2026 Bailiffgate Museum & Gallery is seeking to appoint a Principal Contractor to deliver a programme of restoration, repair and refurbishment works to the historical (Grade 1 listed) Northumberland Hall in Alnwick, Northumberland, a project funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Borderlands Place Programme and other grant funders.
22/1/2026 Bailiffgate awarded £331,674 by the Architectural Heritage Fund. Bailiffgate is delighted to announce that it has received a Capital Grant from the Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF) towards the Northumberland Hall Project. This grant has been awarded through the AHF’s Heritage Revival Fund, delivered in partnership with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and Historic England. This money allows us to start our project to restore and repair the beautiful Grade 1 listed Northumberland Hall which will contribute to the realisation of a long-awaited ambition to transform the Bailiffgate into a home for the people, stories, and art, of rural and North Northumberland. This new Bailiffgate Museum & Gallery is at the core of wider plans to regenerate Alnwick and strengthen Alnwick’s vibrant town centre economy. See the whole Bailiffgate/AHF press release
24/11/2025 Bailiffgate is thrilled that it has been awarded £50,000 by the Sir James Knott Trust and another £50,000 by their sister Trust, Samares towards the Northumberland Hall Project. This money takes the museum closer to commencing the main works on site and will go towards the overall project to restore and repair the beautiful Grade 1 listed Northumberland Hall. This will b the realisation of a long-awaited ambition to transform the Bailiffgate Museum & Gallery into a home for the people, stories, and art, of rural and North Northumberland. This new Bailiffgate Museum & Gallery is at the core of wider plans to regenerate Alnwick and strengthen Alnwick’s vibrant town centre economy.
Bailiffgate is thrilled to announce that it has received £30,000 from The Pilgrim Trust towards the Northumberland Hall Project. This money will be used for the restoration and repair of historic plasterwork inside the Northumberland Hall. The Pilgrim Trusts supports the preservation, conservation and repair of significant historic buildings, structures and architectural features. It works with a number of strategic partners across preservation and conservation to increase the reach and impact of its funding.
A week after securing over £4m in National Lottery Heritage Funding, Bailiffgate has been awarded up to £1.7m in Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal funding as it looks to create a new home in the grade 1 listed Northumberland Hall in the town centre which is set to safeguard and revitalise this heritage asset for future generations. Initial work is set to start this winter to the interior of the building with the main construction work expected to start in late spring 2026. Days earlier the volunteer-run museum secured a £4.3 million award from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.The Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal has committed up to £50m funding to the Borderlands Place Programme, from the UK and Scottish Governments. This will target investment in places that will help boost economic activity across the region and recognises the importance of our smaller rural market and coastal towns to the local economy.
The above news adds to the more than £270,000 in County Council funding which was approved in July as part of the Borderlands Place Programme to kick start the multi-million pound investment package to regenerate Alnwick town centre including the major announcements over the last week.
This includes £181,000 for the initial works to Northumberland Hall and elsewhere in the town, a further £90,000 to develop detailed designs for the new Alnwick Transport Hub on the bus station site. Subject to other funding bid approvals this project could also get underway in early 2026 with other potential projects to improve the town being developed in the longer term.
It all comes on the back of a new 'Town Investment Plan' which has been approved by the Borderlands Partnership following development locally by the Place Partnership Group involving public, private and community stakeholders in the town. The Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal is a ten-year programme of investment, signed in 2021 and supported by the UK and Scottish Governments, to deliver sustainable and inclusive economic benefits across the South of Scotland and North of England. It is also delivering projects and programmes to support digital infrastructure, green growth, business infrastructure and skills, increased tourism and natural capital.
How you can Help:
If you would like to be part of this exciting project, please see our Volunteer page for more details.
If you would like to make a donation towards the relocation of Bailiffgate Museum & Gallery to Northumberland Hall please contact us at companysecretary@bailiffgatemuseum.co.uk with Northumberland Hall project donation in the subject line.
Sketch view looking west showing potential new entrance and new glazing
Detailed Proposals
The relocation would provide the museum with a prominent, more central location in Alnwick. This would make it more accessible to residents and visitors, whilst also bringing its audience to the heart of the town, supporting local shops, services and facilities.
Northumberland Hall provides an impressive, more flexible and increased space for the museum to re-imagine and grow their offer, in a way that will appeal to existing visitors and new audiences – this is vital to the museum’s long term appeal and sustainability.
The revised museum would provide:
- A new, more accessible public entrance to the building / museum.
- More space to display our collections.
- An impressive exhibition space, with an enhanced offer for local and visiting exhibitions.
- More flexible space to accommodate new activities, groups etc. (e.g. visiting schools).
- Meeting space for community use and with the potential to generate an income.
- An improved museum-related retail offer that will complement local retail provision.
- Additional back of house space for administration, volunteers and storage.
The proposals also provide an opportunity to secure a new use and the future of this important building, bringing new visitors and activity to the heart of the town.
Frequently Asked Questions
What will happen with Alnwick Market once the project starts? We are in discussions with the Market Manager and Northumberland Estates to agree a resolution that is in the interests of everyone.
How are we keeping the town up to date with the project timeline? This website page will be kept up to date with developments as they happen, so please check it any time you are interested. We also send out occasional e-mailings to everyone who wishes to receive them with news about the museum in general. You are very welcome to receive this by filling your email address in the box at the foot of this page. You can, of course opt out at any time from receiving these emails.
We have also had individual discussions with the market place businesses already to discuss their delivery requirements and explained the project timeline. Everyone was glad to see something was finally happening in the square. They appreciate that there will be some short term inconvenience but were excited by the long term prospect of bringing in much more footfall into the market square.
Please Note: If you have any other questions, or if you are being asked questions. If you would like to send them to us at northumberlandhall@bailiffgatemuseum.co.uk we will do our best to answer them and potentially include them in these FAQ's .
Sketch view of proposed interior leading up to main hall on the first floor
(New lift to the right of image for disabled access)
Sketch view looking south
Sketch view of proposed interior leading up to main hall on the first floor (2)
View from the marketplace
View from Bondgate
All design images copyright Mosedale Gillatt Architects 2022