HLF GRANT WILL FUND NEW MUSEUM GALLERY 22nd February 2012

The Royal Cornwall Museum has been awarded a grant of £233,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund to create a new permanent exhibition that will showcase what it was like to live in Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome.

The mummified remains of Iset Tayf Nakht – an Egyptian priest, craftsman, husband and father who lived more than 2500 years ago – have long been the museum’s most popular exhibit.  They will now be moved to an enclosed tomb area in the new gallery which visitors can enter if they wish. 

Entitled ‘Unwrapping the Past’, the exhibition will explore 6 themes:  Mummification and the Afterlife, Beliefs, In the Home, Making a Living, The Written Word and Studying the Evidence.  Interpretation panels, object displays and a range of family-focused activities will all be used with the aim of bringing the past to life and making learning about ancient civilisations both stimulating and fun.

In addition to the unwrapped Egyptian Mummy, another centrepiece of the exhibition will be the statue of Sekmet, the Lion Goddess, which is being loaned from the British Museum. 

“Challenging environmental conditions in our current Egypt Gallery meant that many metal artefacts had to be taken off display off four years ago but the new gallery will have high specification cases, new lighting and environmental controls and, with much more space, we can exhibit far more of our wonderful artefacts,” said Head of Programmes Lisa Mitchell. 

“Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome have fascinated people since the earliest antiquarians brought back tales of ruined cities and pyramids and that fascination still exists today.  We are working closely with the British Museum to re-interpret the collection for schools, families and general visitors and are very grateful to the Heritage Lottery Fund for their tremendous support.  I’ve no doubt that people are going to be very impressed when the exhibition opens in early June.”

Richard Bellamy, Acting Head of Heritage Lottery Fund South West, said: “We at HLF are delighted to be able to support the Royal Cornwall Museum in the creation of the new Ancient Civilisations gallery. This project will help ensure the ongoing preservation and care of some of the museum’s most fascinating and popular artefacts.  At the same time, the new gallery will create opportunities for visitors to enjoy these wonderful collections and gain a wonderful insight into past civilisations.”

As match funding towards the overall cost of the project, £55,000 has also been secured from the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council and £10,000 from the Foundation for Sports and the Arts.

Around twenty volunteers are being recruited and trained to provide tours and handling sessions in the new gallery.  Anyone interested in applying, should email Maggie.greenall@royalcornwallmuseum.org.uk or call the museum on 01872 272205.

Ends                                                                                                                                      22 February 2012

Photos:

Visuals of the new Ancient Civilisations gallery at the Royal Cornwall Museum

The museum’s mummy, Iset Tayf Nakht, will have a new home in the gallery

Media enquiries:  Sue Bradbury PR Tel: 01872 863863  E: sue@suebradburypr.com

Notes to editors

1. The Royal Cornwall Museum is managed and owned by the Royal Institution of Cornwall (Registered Charity 221958). The RIC receives funding from central government via the Renaissance in the Regions programme and from local government through Cornwall County Council. Neither of these grants is statutory so future funding is far from guaranteed.

2. As a charity and membership organisation, the RIC relies on the generosity of supporter subscriptions, donations and gifts left in wills to maintain and develop the care and storage of its collections as well as delivering award winning education, outreach and exhibition programmes. 

3. The museum is open from 10am – 4.45 pm Tuesday – Saturday

4. Using money raised through the National Lottery, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) sustains and transforms a wide range of heritage for present and future generations to take part in, learn from and enjoy. From museums, parks, and historic places to archaeology, natural environment and cultural traditions, we invest in every part of our diverse heritage. HLF has supported over 30,000 projects, allocating £4.7 billion across the UK. Website www.hlf.org.uk