The Hereford Museum on Broad Street will be a world-class contemporary facility that includes the Herefordshire Hoard, once refurbishment work is complete.
Work is anticipated to be completed in 2025, with the Library moving to a new location in the city to provide more space for the museum, with hundreds of items in storage at present, due to there being no room to display them in the current museum.
The project will establish a transformational world-class contemporary facility in the heart of Hereford with the capacity to accommodate our globally and nationally significant heritage assets such as the Magna Carta, Herefordshire Hoard and collections of antiquities dating back to the Ice Age, in addition to hosting national and international exhibitions.
The redevelopment will embrace the latest technologies such as Virtual Reality to tell the story of Herefordshire and the wider Welsh Marches region.
The new museum will aim to attract progressive funding for heritage, culture and the arts to facilitate educational and cultural activity in the city and county, to strengthen community cohesion and engagement and to support the development of job opportunities in Hereford’s cultural sector.
The Stronger Hereford Vision for the Museum development says:
“Hereford’s visitor economy has significantly underperformed for decades, at great opportunity cost to the city and the existing museum is an asset with huge unrealised potential.
“Development of the city’s heritage offer is a core element of our levelling strategy and this project will create ripple-out benefits across the city centre and enhance physical connectivity between the high street and the River Wye.
“This project will support Hereford’s creative sector and underperforming visitor
economy, delivering the Towns Fund Intervention Framework objective of improved arts, cultural and heritage offer that is more visible and easier for residents/visitors to access.”
Herefordshire Council Press Release about temporary Library location and Maylord Orchards project pause:
The doors to Hereford library and museum will soon close for its redevelopment
The Broad Street building that houses Hereford’s museum and library is set to temporarily close from Saturday 15 July 2023.
Visitors will start to notice a few changes over the coming weeks as preparations are made for library and museum services to move out.
The move will allow a complete refurbishment of the building to take place. It’s set to re-open in 2025 as a totally transformed modern museum and art gallery.
At the same time, work will continue on our exciting project to create a new library and learning resource centre in the city.
Temporary library at Friars Street
Hereford library will move to a new home in the city centre.
From Tuesday 18 July, until the new library and learning centre is completed, we will provide a temporary library from the Museum Resource and Learning Centre at 58 Friars Street. Its opening times will be Tuesday – Friday, 9.30am to 5pm; Saturdays, 9.30am to 4pm. Library users will be able to borrow books and other items from there in the same way as now.
On the ground floor will be a welcome desk, printing and copying, self-service kiosks, quick-pick stock (popular titles), reservations and click and collect.
There’s a lift and stairs to the first floor, where customers will find around 3,000 books, including children’s. There will also be public network PCs, public wi-fi and space to sit and work.
Hereford Museum and Art Gallery
This Museum and Art Gallery will reopen in summer 2025, following a complete refurbishment. It will provide a modern museum and art gallery space, rooftop viewing balcony, activity rooms and café.
The Black and White House Museum remains open. You can visit Tuesday to Saturday, 10am-4pm and on Sundays 12 noon-3pm. Entry fee applies.
