A £7.5million project to transform a Suffolk museum and gallery into a major national cultural destination has been commended by the Prime Minister in Parliament.
Trustees at Gainsborough’s House in Sudbury recently heard they are to receive £4.73m in Heritage Lottery funding to enable them to transform a neighbouring building into a huge three-storey exhibition space with views of the stunning scenery which inspired many of his works.
High-profile celebrities, including Griff Rhys Jones, American Vogue editor Anna Wintour and Loyd Grossman endorsed the ambitious plans, which it is hoped will act as a catalyst for regeneration in the town. And now Prime Minister Theresa May has added her voice in support of the project.
South Suffolk MP James Cartlidge raised the news during Prime Minister’s Question Time on Wednesday.
He said: “My constituents were delighted to learn this week that Gainsborough’s House, a unique museum and art gallery based in the very building where Gainsborough was born in Sudbury, is to receive almost £5million of National Lottery funding to become a national cultural attraction.
“Will my Right Honourable Friend join me in congratulating the director Mark Bills and his team on their success, and does she agree that if in Suffolk we are bold and positive and go for devolution, we can look forward to much more of this sort of transformative investment in the years to come?”
In reply, Mrs May commended all those who were involved in the Gainsborough’s House bid.
She continued: “Many people will enjoy visiting Gainsborough’s House in the future as a result of the work that will be able to be done.
“I know the importance of the Heritage Lottery Fund. It supported the excellent Stanley Spencer gallery in my own constituency, so I have seen the impact it can have. He (James Cartlidge) is absolutely right. The point about devolution deals is people coming together with that ambition for their local area to generate the transformative investment he talks about. Suffolk is looking at the sort of deal it might wish to have locally.”
Babergh District Council put up the money to buy the former labour exchange building next to Gainsborough’s Hous, which will be turned into the new gallery.
The total value of tourism in the Babergh area is around £182m and the industry provides 10.6% of all employment in the district.
Simon Barrett, the council’s portfolio holder for business growth, said: “The district council is behind the bid and has put money into the scheme.
“It’s all part of Babergh’s strategic priorities to make sure we have a good tourist offer and we want to make Sudbury into a tourist destination. Mark Bills has been brilliant and we fully support his bid, which is supporting Sudbury.”
Published by the EADT.
