Volunteers and staff at Ruddington’s Framework Knitters’ Museum are once again showing visitors the delights of their unique heritage site, following the completion of refurbishment work there costing £62,295.
The funds for the work were awarded through the Arts Council of England’s Museum Estate and Development Fund (MEND). MEND is an open-access capital fund, which is designed to help museums and local authorities undertake infrastructure and urgent maintenance that are beyond the scope of day-to-day maintenance budgets.
The fact that the Grade II listed cottage and frameshops at the Chapel Street site look little different now to how they did before this work began is deliberate, of course. However, a few noticeable repairs were needed to the roofs and chimneys, guttering needed replacing, some walls were repointed, and a glass roof was changed (above).
However, further ‘invisible’ work by Stevenson Bros – to put in roof and wall insulation, to improve the energy efficiency of the buildings, was also carried out – along with new wooden beams on the back wall of one of the frameshops (below) to help support its historic roof a little better.
Sarah Godfrey, creative and commercial manager of the museum, says: “We’re delighted that work has completed on our cottage and frameshop buildings. It’s important to keep them alive and thanks to generous funding from the Arts Council we were able to carry out much-needed repairs. The restoration, which has also made the buildings more environmentally sustainable, will help to ensure that a wide range of people can continue to access the museum, and to celebrate our historical textile heritage, for many years to come.”
Peter Knott, Midlands area director for Arts Council England, adds: “The Framework Knitters’ Museum is a place of considerable communal and historic value, which tells the fascinating 400-year history of framework knitting. It is much loved by its local community and this work will help to secure the long-term survival of the buildings. We’re proud to have supported the project through our Museum Estates and Development Fund (MEND).”
The Framework Knitters’ Museum is open Wednesday to Saturday between 11am-4pm, Sunday and Bank Holiday Mondays 1.30pm-4pm. Parker’s Yard is free to attend and open from Monday to Saturday, between 9.30am-4pm, Sundays 11:30am-4pm and Bank Holiday Mondays 11am-4pm.
