BMAG to make history

In December 2008 I reported, History in the making, that Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery's plan for Birmingham - A City in the Making project. The project aims to redisplay and reinterpret the museum's Birmingham history collections in 1,000sq m of space in a wing of refurbished galleries. The galleries will enhance the BMAG which is the largest local authority museum service in England working to a
net budget of £7m and receiving 687,373 personal visitors in 2008/9.

The project is part of the 20 Year Plan for the Museum, History in the making; Birmingham Post opens up the doors of history, with the development forming part of four zones: Birmingham History, Art
and Design, Ancient Peoples and Exploring the World and its Peoples (ethnography).

A planning application has now been submitted for the A City in the Making project.

2010/03234/PA

MUSEUM AND ART GALLERY Chamberlain Square Ladywood Birmingham B3 3DH

Listed building consent for works to second floor arrival space, activity area and third floor exhibition space, including restoration of original features, new oculus to replace dome and new ancillary area.

The following information is taken from the planning application explaining the proposals.

Birmingham – A City in the Making is an ambitious but deliverable project that aims to restore to former glory an important part of the Grade II* listed Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, whilst creating over 1000sqm of new exhibition space that chronicles the proud history of the city in which it was built.
The project will see the creation of a stunning new wing of Birmingham History Galleries that provide a comprehensive and authoritative exploration of the history and development of the city and its people.
The renovation and structural development of existing galleries on the 3rd floor, conversion of some office space into galleries and the reinstatement and restoration of the original building features damaged during the Second World War will achieve this.

Four distinctive history galleries will focus on the development of the city from medieval times to 1945. A fifth gallery will encompass rotating displays exploring the character and identity of Birmingham and its people today, and their living memories of Birmingham’s more recent past.
The project will involve the review of BMAG’s outstanding collections of Birmingham history and the selection, conservation and display of nearly 2,000 objects, approximately 80% of which will be previously un-displayed, nationally significant material.

Images from the planning application are reproduced below: