Southampton’s City Art Gallery Receives £2.23m Grant for Essential Roof Repairs

Southampton’s City Art Gallery have received a grant of £2.23m from the Department of Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) to carry out essential roof repairs. The grant, which will be administered by Arts Council England, will allow the museum to undertake vital infrastructure and urgent maintenance work that is beyond the scope of its everyday maintenance budgets.

The work is expected to begin later this year and will be completed in 2024. The repairs will involve fixing the failing asphalt roof, air handling and heating plant, historic sky lights, and windows that have reached the end of their life.

The City Art Gallery is a treasured cultural heritage site in Southampton, and the funding will help to preserve it for current and future generations. The leader of the Southampton City Council, Cllr Kaur, expressed her gratitude for the grant, stating that it will help to preserve the “jewel in our city’s crown” and will benefit not just local residents but also the many visitors who come to Southampton to see the gallery’s world-class art collection.

The Museum Estates and Development Fund, which provided the grant, is designed to enable accredited museums to undertake essential infrastructure and maintenance work that goes beyond their regular budgets. This helps to ensure that important cultural sites can be preserved for future generations to enjoy.

The grant is the latest example of investment in Southampton’s cultural heritage, with the city having already secured over £15m in funding from bidding for the UK City of Culture title. This investment not only helps to preserve important cultural sites but also contributes to the growth and development of the city, putting Southampton on the map regionally and nationally. The funding will also help to save local taxpayers’ money by ensuring that maintenance work is carried out before problems become more severe and costly to fix.