Derby's iconic Museum of Making will reopen this month - and it's made a few changes
Visitors on opening weekend can expect to see some changes in the museum
One of Derby’s most beloved tourist attractions is set to reopen - nearly three months to the day after it was closed.
The Museum of Making in Derby city centre closed on October 23, 2023, after Storm Babet caused substantial flood damage to the building.
Derby Museums has announced the Museum of Making will reopen at 10am on Friday January 26, 2024.
The heritage-rich building will now have new and repaired equipment in the kitchen and workshops, plus upgrades to display furniture.
Read more: What's On in Derby?
No objects from the museum’s collections were damaged during the flood as the majority of exhibits were already on the upper floors.
Moveable displays on the ground floor were also transported to higher levels, thanks to quick-thinking staff who shifted displays ahead of time.
Following the announcement of the closure, there was an outpouring of public support which saw the museum receive donations and kind offers of help from the local community and businesses.
Derby Museums says since the flood, with an appeal in the early days of the closure, they received over 300 donations, and that the generosity of the public and business community has enabled Derby Museums to ‘mitigate a substantial amount of costs unrecoverable under the insurance policy.’
Which exhibitions will be showing at the reopened Derby Museum of Making?
Following the reopening, visitors will once more be able to engage with the 30,000 objects on display, including the striking Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engine and ‘exploded’ Toyota Corolla car suspended in the Civic Hall.
In addition, the much-anticipated exhibition of a giant scale LEGO model of the Lake District will open to the public.
The model has been created by local artist Jon Tordoff, who in 2020, became inspired by his lifelong interest in LEGO and his love of the Lake District to begin creating one of England’s most famous landscapes out of LEGO bricks.
Changes at The Museum of Making
Visitors on opening weekend can expect to see some changes in the museum. The Old Shop gallery has been rehung with new flatworks, a particular highlight being a painting of the Acropolis of Athens, formerly hung in the now-closed Acropolis café – Derby’s oldest café at the time of its closure last July.
Families will notice brand new ‘on-gallery making activities,’ free for all to enjoy, a LEGO Minifigure trail and drop-in activities taking place over the opening weekend.
Curators and volunteers will also be onsite to help with object handling, allowing visitors to get hands-on with Derby’s history.
Tony Butler, Executive Director of Derby Museums said: “I am delighted that the Museum of Making is reopening, our team has worked hard to get back up and running as soon as possible.
“It has been heart-warming for our team to see just how much the museum means to the city and how much our community has missed us.
“I’d like to thank our fantastic supporters, both individuals and the local business community for their support during this difficult time.”
Hope for a brighter future
The team at Derby Museums is hopeful the reopening will once more attract new visitors to the city.
The Museum of Making’s team says in the last financial year, the museum attracted over 122,000 visitors, proving itself to be an attractive and invaluable heritage asset for Derby.
In a recent economic impact report, Derby Museums was estimated to support Derby’s hospitality, leisure, and tourism offer by generating an estimated £7m of tourism spend in the local economy, with £4m coming from the Museum of Making alone.
Find out more about what’s on at the Museum of Making by clicking here.