Case Study - Creswell Crags Museum & Archaeology Park

Programme: Heritage Grants
Applicant: Creswell Heritage Trust
Grant awarded: £4,234,000
Project length: 27 months

Creswell Crags printable (MS Word, 432KB)

Summary

The magnesium limestone gorge at Creswell is the only place in the UK and the most northerly point in Europe where prehistoric cave art has been found. Its special significance has led to its protection as a Scheduled Monument and the gorge is also a Site of Special Scientific Interest and part of a grade II registered landscape.

The existing facilities at the site no longer met the needs of visitors or Creswell Heritage Trust who manage the site. The Trust successfully applied for funding to build a new heritage centre to create a purpose-built space in which to better tell the story of Creswell.

The project has delivered a new museum, interpretation and education building. This has successfully allowed the Trust to expand their educational activities, offer better interpretation to visitors and to put more artefacts from their archaeological collection on display.

The aims of the project

The project had two main aims:

to increase physical and intellectual access to the 60,000 year history of Creswell Crags through increased education and interpretation activities; and
to improve care for the archaeological collection and to display a greater number of artefacts found at the site, many for the first time at Creswell.

Benefits for heritage

The project has improved facilities for the storage and management of the collection and has enabled more items from the collection to be displayed on-site, including artefacts held by other museums.
The exhibition space and interpretative media have increased intellectual access to the engravings at Creswell Crags and its prehistoric history.
The visitor centre has helped to secure the long-term sustainability and management of this important site.

Benefits for people

The museum’s dedicated education spaces have increased the opportunities to deliver activities for schools, students and life-long learning, engaging the local community in prehistoric history and the heritage of their area.
In the first six months after opening, over 800 pupils from primary and secondary schools visited the centre on education trips.
In the same time, 390 people from higher education and adult specialist interest groups attended structured group visits to the site.
The new centre and improved facilities will help to attract first-time visitors to the site, engaging new audiences in the prehistoric heritage of the UK.
Since opening, 269 people have signed up to receive the mailing list to hear about up and coming exhibitions, events and lectures.

Lessons learnt

It can be useful to have a contingency budget to carry out any changes after completion that come from visitor feedback or for minor elements that have been overlooked within the planning of a larger scheme.
The amount of time the Trust needed to invest in delivering the scheme was great and a project manager on the client side would have been useful.
The Trust found it essential to build a strong relationship with their HLF monitor and regional office. As a small charitable Trust there were obvious concerns regarding cash flow. Regular communication and a common understanding of timescales ensured that the cash flow was not put at risk.

Long term benefits

Improved research and collections space will allow the Trust to develop academic links to universities and other museums.
A Strategy for Nature Conservation has been produced which will manage the wildlife areas of the site for increased biodiversity.

The budget

Main Project Costs	£	Funding	£
Capital costs	4,921,069	Grants or donations	2,878,408
Professional fees	641,812	HLF Grant (60%)	4,234,000
Interpretation and displays	335, 500
Contingency and inflation	351,618
		Total costs	7,202,408

The newly designed exhibition space at Creswell Crags Museum

New interpretation at Creswell Crags

Sector

Collections

Activity

Learning