'Challenging' roof repairs to city museum begin

North East Museums director Keith Merrin (left) said it would be "business as usual" for visitors and staff

The restoration of a museum's roof has started following a £3m grant.

The repairs, at The Discovery Museum, in Newcastle's Grade II listed Blandford House, are expected to be completed by spring 2027.

The museum and Tyne & Wear Archives will remain open to the public, although there will be occasional short closures to allow for necessary work.

Director of North East Museums Keith Merrin said it would be "business as usual" for museum visitors and staff.

"This magnificent building reflects the story of Newcastle itself, well before the museum was established here," he said.

"Please bear with us while we undertake this necessary work."

Contractors are now on site at the museum, and high protective hoardings will be built.

The building has been used as a museum for 45 years

Parking in Blandford Square will be affected and people are advised to use the Grainger Town multi-storey car park on Waterloo Street instead.

The work is supported through a £3,079,042 grant from the DCMS Museum Estate and Development Fund, which is administered by Arts Council England.

Newcastle City Council, which owns the building, is also contributing £865,000 towards work on the bricks and windows.

Council leader Karen Kilgour said the museum attracted more than 300,000 visits a year.

"It's six storeys high so this will be a challenging project, but I am confident that when it's complete the building will be well equipped to deal with future generations of visitors," she said.

Blandford House was once the headquarters of the Cooperative Wholesale Society.

It was finished in 1899 by Newcastle architects Oliver & Leeson, and has been a museum since 1981.

Follow BBC Newcastle on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.