Northumberland Hall

Even More Exciting News !

Bailiffgate is over the moon with the many donors who have been good enough to support our move to the Northumberland Hall. To bring everyone up to date:

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.

Jean Humphrys, the Chair at Bailiffgate Museum & Gallery, said “Trustees and volunteers at Bailiffgate are thrilled to have been given this grant to contribute to the the refurbishment of Northumberland Hall. We are local people, with a passion for Alnwick and Northumberland, its history and its culture and we are delighted to have this unique opportunity to make an exciting contribution to revitalising the town for the community and its visitors".

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.

Bailiffgate has been based in the town’s listed St Mary’s Church for 23 years, but over recent years the museum’s aspiration has been to expand and move into the Northumberland Hall in the Market Place. The Borderlands funding approval is part of a planned multi-million pound investment package to regenerate Alnwick town centre. This is part of the Borderlands Place Programme in the county, supported by an investment package of £21m including £12m of Borderlands Deal funding and £9m County Council funding.

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.

Once funding awards are in place, there will be detailed consultation with businesses and residents that may be affected by any construction works prior to them starting.

County Council Leader and Borderlands Partnership Board member, Glen Sanderson said: “This is another significant investment in the town centre, and fantastic news for Bailiffgate's exciting plans. Alnwick is known for its attractions nationally and internationally. Through both the council and through Borderlands we want to bring new attractions to the town centre, make it easier to visit the town on public transport and boost the centre as a place to live, visit, work and invest.

Alnwick Hotspur County Councillor Martin Swinbank said: “This is a further boost for Alnwick and will complement the other major public realm improvements which are planned. It's the culmination of a lot of effort put in by the voluntary Alnwick Borderlands Board of stakeholders over a number of years, along with Alnwick Town Council. I hope this boost ripples out into the private sector and encourages much needed investment into some of the other buildings and businesses within the town centre, to keep Alnwick flourishing.”

Alnwick Castle County Councillor Gordon Castle added: "This Borderlands funding is on track to deliver improvements to help the economy grow in our town by investing in modern infrastructure. The museum move will help our marketplace thrive, and along with the bus station plans, meet increasing visitor and resident expectations in our fine town."

Jean Humphrys, chair of trustees at Bailiffgate Museum & Gallery, said: “It’s been quite a week for us, and we’re delighted with this match funding in support of our National Lottery Heritage Grant.  As a volunteer-run museum, recognition of our strong work for the people of Alnwick and this amazing Town is always welcome and we’re very grateful to the County Council and the Borderlands Partnership for their funding support.”

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.