The Buxton Museum and Art Gallery pop-up will be open from 9 to 11 September 2024 in the Octagon Lounge in the town’s Pavilion Gardens between 10am and 4pm and everyone’s welcome to drop in.
Staff from the Derbyshire County Council run Buxton Museum and Art Gallery were keen for a pop-up to be part of the Heritage Open Days Festival as it gives an opportunity for collections and artefacts to be displayed while a new home is sought for the museum.
The museum and art gallery in Peak Buildings on Terrace Road closed to the public in June 2023 after structural investigation work revealed dry rot in structural timbers and floor joists, making parts of the building potentially unsafe.
Although initially a temporary closure, a decision to permanently relocate the museum from Peak Buildings was announced in May.
Work is continuing to look for a suitable alternative new home for the museum and art gallery, while we engage with a number of partners on a range of options, both for an interim and long-term solution.
Museum staff have been developing an interim service to ensure residents and visitors can still access some of the artefacts and displays, and the pop-up in September is just one of many free events which have been held over the summer.
The pop-up museum will give people the opportunity to explore the collections and learn more about the history of Buxton and Derbyshire, as told by the people of Buxton. There will be museum objects to handle and a short film about the history of the Pavilion Gardens.
Visitors to the pop-up museum will also have the opportunity to give their views on what the future of Buxton Museum and Art Gallery could look like.
Derbyshire County Council Leader and Cabinet Member for Strategic Leadership, Culture, Tourism and Climate Change Councillor Barry Lewis said:
“It is great to see Buxton Museum getting out into the community to show off elements of the amazing collection we have in Buxton, and getting people’s feedback for what they’d like to see in the future. I’d like to encourage people to go along and enjoy our pop-up museum event.”
People wanting to attend the pop-up museum can drop in at any time between 10am to 4pm on Monday 9, Tuesday 10 or Wednesday 11 September 2024 and there’s no need to book.