Announcements and ongoing work

Museum of Making wins RIBA awards

The Silk Mill’s major transformation into the Museum of Making caught the attention of judges at the 2023 Royal Institude of British Architects (RIBA) awards. The Museum of Making was incredibly successful, winning the Regional Award, Architect of the Year and Client of the Year Awards. Congratulations to all our partners and especially Bauman Lyons Architects.

River Kitchen shortlisted for Museums + Heritage Awards, Café or Restaurant of the Year

Although the River Kitchen didn’t win the title, it is a huge achievement to have been shortlisted for this award. In 2022, over 45,000 visitors (40% of our total visitors at the Museum of Making) enjoyed The River Kitchen’s offer. From three-course wedding meals to a quick, affordable sandwich after a museum visit, a family-friendly breakfast with Santa or an outdoor summer lunch on the banks of the River Derwent, our team of kitchen creatives cater for everyone without compromising on quality or sustainability. In the calendar year 2022, The River Kitchen alone generated £392,000 of revenue –an incredible achievement.

Coffee House refurbishment at the Museum and Art Gallery

Have you visited the Coffee House recently? It’s been almost ten years now since the decision was made to transform the ceramics gallery at the Museum and Art Gallery, adding in a cosy and high-quality catering offer which responds to the celebrated collections of Royal Crown Derby on display. This decision had a transformative, positive effect on gallery engagement, bringing new footfall into the space and a solid income stream into Derby Museums Enterprises.

After ten years, it was time for a refresh in the Coffee House. Postpandemic, across the city, it has been a particularly difficult time in the catering sector; a number of stalwart Derby cafés and coffee shops have closed as footfall has struggled to return to 2019 levels. While the Museum of Making’s River Kitchen is packed out, we needed to explore an alternative offer in the Coffee House to increase footfall and freshen up the interior and so, in early January, a week was spent painting, installing new furniture, launching a new menu and installing a brand new oven. Now, the Coffee House offers a wider range of hot and cold food within a cosy, community-café environment, and trade has increased significantly as a result.

Later this year, we’ll be working closely with community groups in the city to begin to animate the space. It’s an ideal location for low-cost or free, shared-interest groups; some of the ideas we’re exploring include LEGO Saturdays, lads-and-dads breakfast mornings and weekend board game afternoons. Keep your eyes peeled for our exciting programme of events in the space. If you have any ideas, feel free to get in touch by emailing Director of Commerical and Operations, Alex Rock at: alex@derbymuseums.org.

Derby Museums takes the lead on city’s history

In recent months, as people prepare for the warmer weather and start to make plans for the months ahead, we’ve seen a significant increase in enquiries for group visits and tours. Publicity for the Hogarth exhibition in particular has been a catalyst for these enquiries. Our three museums are a rich tableaux in the wider tapestry of Derby’s fascinating history and, in addressing the Jacobite Rebellion and the events of 1745 in Derby, it is difficult to ignore the extant built heritage in the city dating from that time. The Jacobite troops were billeted at the Old Bell Hotel and Jorrock’s (as it is now called), and to announce their arrival in the city they climbed the 80 steps halfway up the All Saints’ Tower to ring the bells before celebrating Mass in the 20-year-old nave of what is now Derby Cathedral. The tenor bell that rang out on that day is still there, and the nave has been restored to an approximation of its original colour.

There are very few organisations in the city running accurate walking tours incorporating the city’s rich heritage. The Derby Museums’ brand is a badge of quality and historical robustness, and so we’re delighted to be working with two thorough and celebrated academic historians of 1745 and the Enlightenment –Professors Keith McLay and Paul Elliott, both from the University of Derby – to produce a walking tour of the city’s Jacobite heritage. With a focus on supporting the next generation of cultural ambassadors, we are advertising tour-guide positions to the University’s History undergraduates. As part of this project, the students will be mentored by Profs McLay and Elliott and the Derby Museums’ team, learning how to deliver history in an engaging way to a paying audience without compromising on the accuracy of the story told. The current intention is to launch these tours in May.

This is part of a wider refresh of our tour offer, working with some of our cultural partners across the city. Tours of Derby Museum and Art Gallery, Pickford’s House and the Museum of Making are now all available for the first time in a number of years, priced at £6+VAT per person for groups of between 8 and 12 people. Each tour lasts one hour. We’ve been working closely with Derby Cathedral and the Riverboat to synchronise our offer, particularly with a focus on coach groups. Both the Cathedral and the Riverboat are offering tours of the same duration, capacity and price, and we are working alongside Visit Derby to promote these offers more widely, showing that there’s more to Derbyshire than the Peak District, and that Derby city centre has a wealth of tour activity for groups to enjoy.

If you are part of any groups besides Derby Museums Friends that might be interested in booking a tour, please spread the word that these group tours are now available. If you have any further questions or would like to enquire about booking please contact: info@derbymuseums.org

We are also thankful to the Derby Museums Friends who so generously gave their time to runs tours at the Museum and Art Gallery (and around the city) before we were able to get this wider tour offer off the ground.