Northumberland Hall

All the Latest News !

Our project outcomes include, to:

Restore, Refurbish and bring back into daily use an unused and deteriorating Grade 1 listed building that has been designated as a Heritage at Risk, which is a core part of Alnwick’s social, cultural and trading history.

Provide a new, vibrant, and visible cultural and visitor attraction in Alnwick town centre, to increase footfall, attract visitors, and catalyse the regeneration of the town centre.

Improve physical access and space to enhance the glory of this treasured heritageg building, creating new programming opportunities to reach out to new and different audiences, and increase engagement with local communities. Ensuring wider audiences have the opportunity to connect and enjoy the historic and cultural environment, creating a sense of pride and connection to the museum and gallery from all communities including the hardest to reach.

Improve partnership working, developing strong relationships with local businesses, schools, youth groups and stakeholders to inform and deliver an engaging and attractive offer.

Ensure the building and the Museum have a sustainable future, building our capacity through new employment and volunteering opportunities, and generating new income streams.

Continue to grow the exemplary volunteering at Bailiffgate for the benefit of health, wellbeing and employment and sense of pride in all we achieve.
Provide wider economic benefits for local people through work experience and training opportunities, and by providing space for local creatives to showcase their work.

Key features include:

A refurbished and restored, Grade 1 listed building in the centre of Alnwick
An accessible museum and gallery which is suitable for all abilities
A new large retail space which will include high quality and locally sourced and created products.
Meeting room for hire by the public
Much needed office space for our growing volunteer base to work
Inspiring interpretation which will tell the story of North Northumberland and will include displays which will be brought to life in a way that complements the space and its new identity, is flexible in response to future uses and is presented in a way that celebrates accessibility and inclusivity.
High-quality rolling programme of activities and events, alongside permanent and changing displays and temporary exhibitions will make up the enhanced offer

September 2026 Update The project is progressing well. We are in the tender stage for our main contractor with interviews taking place in October 2026 and they will be on site shortly after. We will provide regular updates once this has taken place via our website, social media and through various events we are planning to hold. Make sure you are following us on Facebook.

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 across the UK

13/2/2026 Bailiffgate awarded £75,000 from the Wolfson Foundation - an independent grant-making charity with a focus on education and research.

06/02/2026 Bailiffgate Museum & Gallery is seeking to appoint a Principal Contractor to deliver a programme of restoration, repair and refurbishment works 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.

24/11/2025 Bailiffgate is awarded £50,000 by the Sir James Knott Trust and another £50,000 by their sister Trust, Samares towards the Northumberland Hall Project.

17/11/2025 Restoration of Northumberland Hall in Alnwick starts today (Nov 17th 2025) - funded by Northumberland County Council. 2 weeks of work will start specialist conservation and restoration work inside the Grade 1 Listed Building. See details of NCC supporting overall improvements in Alnwick Town Centre.

Bailiffgate has received £30,000 from The Pilgrim Trust towards the Northumberland Hall Project.

A week after securing over £4m in National Lottery Heritage Funding, Bailiffgate has been awarded up to £1.7m in Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal

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 [email protected] 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 is the timeline for the Northumberland Hall project?

October 2026 Appointment of the main contractor
November 2026 Main contractor mobilisation

November 2026 Main contractor start on site

Capital phase is 60 weeks and then there is 10 weeks of fit out.
Summer 2028 Decant to new museum in Northumberland Hall
Summer 2028 Launch
Summer 2028 Museum opens at Northumberland Hall

Please note the timeline above is reliant on the appointment of the main contractor.

When does work start on site at Northumberland Hall?

We are in the process of appointing our main contractor. The start of the Capital phase will commence November 2026 (start of works on site) and are expected to complete Spring 2028, after which we will be fitting out the exhibition space. Bailiffgate Museum & Gallery are planning to relocate to Northumberland Hall by May/June, opening Summer 2028.

What are the main features of the Northumberland Hall Project?

How will this affect local businesses?

Alnwick Town Centre will remain open for business throughout the construction period although there will inevitably be some disruption to enable these works to be undertaken.

Throughout the improvement works every effort will be made to minimise disruption and works have been planned carefully.

Access will be maintained to local businesses, services, attractions and community facilities. Clear signage, temporary arrangements and advance notice of any temporary changes will be provided to minimise disruption. Alnwick Town Centre will remain open for business throughout the construction period:

Although a compound will be required for the main capital works, we have been and continue to be working with all parties concerned to ensure any disruption is minimised as much as is possible.

NB. Tender packs for the appointment of our main contractor were issued and we are expecting applications to be returned by 5^th October 2026. We will include information about the challenges and considerations of working on this site and the impact on the surrounding businesses and markets which need to be considered in their application.

Will these capital works affect deliveries to businesses in the market place?

We will make sure that there is always access in and out of the marketplace so that deliveries can take place. We have spoken to the businesses in the market place to understand their delivery patterns.

How is the Northumberland Hall project and the other town centre projects being managed to ensure minimum disruption to residents and businesses?

Alnwick Town Centre (ATC) Improvements are a package of complementary projects aimed at improving the town centre's infrastructure, public spaces, transport facilities and cultural attractions. The package is a co-ordinated investment in Alnwick's future, helping to support economic growth, capitalise on the towns historic character and assets, enhance the visitor experience, improve accessibility and ultimately strengthen the town as a place to live, work, visit and invest.

Projects: ATC Improvements include:

The Cobbles – a project to enhance the main parking area in the centre of town with improvement works to Bondgate Within.
Alnwick Bus Station – a project to revitalise the existing bus station delivered in two phases. Phase 1 are exterior safety and accessibility works and phase 2 is a refresh of the Bus Station
Bailiffgate Museum & Gallery – a project to create a major new home for the popular Bailiffgate Museum & Gallery. A central new attraction in the town centre restoring Northumberland Hall and boosting Alnwick Market Place.

How will this project affect Alnwick markets?

The Market Traders (operating on Thursdays and Saturdays from March to December, and also on Wednesdays from June to October) will remain within the marketplace during the construction period. An amended market arrangement will be introduced to accommodate the site compound for the Bailiffgate Museum & Gallery project, whilst maintaining trading activity and access for customers.

We have been working with Northumberland Estates and Northumberland County Council and the Market Operator to find a solution to minimise any disruption to the market days during the main project which are an important part of Alnwick business. Any early works including surveys to the hall so far have ensured that market days are avoided.

Our approved planning application No. 25/02489/VARYCO includes the following condition " No. 3. Prior to the commencement of the main phase of works and within 4 weeks of appointment of the main contractor the construction method statement is to be submitted to and approved in writing by the local planning authority. Where applicable, this should include:

i. Details of temporary traffic measures, temporary access, routes and vehicles

ii. Vehicle cleaning facilities

iii. Parking of vehicles of site operatives and visitors

iv. The loading and unloading of plant and materials

Reason- to prevent nuisance in the interest of residential amenity and highway safety, in accordance with the National Planning Policy Framework and Policy TRA2 of the Northumberland Local Plan.

Do you have permission for works on this project?

Planning permission for all associated works on Northumberland Hall was approved by Northumberland County Council on 9th September 2025.

Why does the main contractor have to supply welfare facilities within the compound?

This is required by the Construction (design and management) regulations 2015 (CDM 2015) supported by Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, Workplace (Health Safety & Welfare Regulations) 1992.

Do you intend having a launch event once you are open?

A planned series of launch events will take place in Summer 2028.

Why can’t the funding you’ve raised be used to funding improvements to the market place?

The funding raised to date is ringfenced for the Northumberland Hall Project conservation, repair and restoration- including moving the current collection housed at Bailiffgate into this new town centre location. Our funders have strict reporting requirements and we are unable to use the funds for any other purpose other than those in which they were applied for and granted.

How will we be kept informed of this project and other Alnwick Town Centre developments?

Prior to the Bailiffgate scheme commencement in November 2026 communications and engagement is planned to include where appropriate joint communications with NCC which will include some of the following - Cllr Briefings, Alnwick Town Forum/Place Partnership Group briefing and walkabouts and letter drops to market traders, local shop owners and local stakeholders e.g. public PR and notices as well as a wider community drop in event.

Business as Usual: All comms will emphasise the area will be open for business as usual with access maintained for local shops and services and the Markets continuing to operate on the Marketplace. Hoardings will be designed and will inform locals and visitors that Alnwick Businesses and Markets are open for business as normal.

Conclusions: While there will inevitably be some temporary disruption associated with construction activity, the Bailiffgate project and wider ATC improvements will deliver long-term benefits for Alnwick to make it an even better place to live, work and invest through improved infrastructure, enhanced public spaces, better connectivity and significant investment in cultural and heritage assets. A proactive communications and engagement approach will help ensure residents, businesses and visitors remain informed and supported throughout delivery.