Locals and visitors alike are being encouraged to visit the People’s Palace in Glasgow before it closes for major refurbishment.
Funding secured from the National Lottery Heritage Fund means the next stage of a £35.9 million transformational project can begin, which will completely reimagine and restore the much-loved museum and Winter Gardens glasshouse.
Ahead of the closure in April, Glasgow Life, the charity which delivers culture and sport in the city, has launched a ‘Last chance to see’ campaign.
The campaign urges locals and visitors to the city to make time to take in the many treasures on display in the People’s Palace over the next eight weeks.
READ MORE: People's Palace and Winter Gardens in Glasgow secures lottery redevelopment grant
Set in historic Glasgow Green, the iconic building is home to collections documenting the city’s social history from 1750 to the present day.
It was opened on January 22, 1898 by the Earl of Rosebery, who described it as "a palace of pleasure and imagination around which the people may place their affections and which may give them a home on which their memory may rest".
Its exhibits range from the iconic banana boots worn by one of Scotland’s favourite comedians, Billy Connolly to Rab C Nesbitt’s string vest and an evocative re-creation of a single-end flat.
The palace's other attractions range from depictions of old-fashioned steamies to a vintage pink dress and the bright Barrowland sign.
Bailie Annette Christie, Chair of Glasgow Life, said: “Having received the National Lottery Heritage Fund award last month we are keen to get started revitalising the People’s Place and Winter Gardens.
"It’s what the local community have been calling for. Like them we are eager to move forward with our vision to reimagine the whole place and create a dynamic community-led museum and flexible space, which will foster new ways to promote inclusion, access, and participation, and minimise its impact on the environment.
“With spring on the horizon and the school holidays only a few weeks away, I would encourage as many people as possible to grab this last chance to see the Palace before we close the doors and continue to work with local communities on this exciting transformation.”
Once closed, the vision to restore the People’s Palace and Winter Gardens as a vibrant museum and thriving community space will begin in earnest.
READ MORE: The People's Palace, Glasgow's 'palace of pleasure and imagination'
The development phase will take around 16 months and will facilitate work with Glasgow’s diverse communities to discover how the museum can best tell the city’s stories, making sure more people’s heritage is on display in the refreshed museum.
The ‘new’ People’s Palace and Winter Gardens will be a dynamic community-led museum and flexible space, which will foster new ways to promote inclusion, access, and participation, and minimise its impact on the environment.
To begin with, a specialist project team will be brought together with the remit of championing the successful community-centred approach used at The Burrell Collection.
By collaborating with local people, and using their views, insights, and opinions to shape all aspects of the refurbishment, the aim is to transform the space and displays to make the building more accessible for all.
The operational services and fabric of the building will also be refurbished. Initially, investigative work will be carried out to confirm the condition of the building and inform detailed reports that will allow contractors to be appointed.
The ambitious project will improve the People’s Palace and Winter Gardens’ environmental sustainability, creating a greener, world-class, local museum, Glasgow Life said, and will protect an invaluable cultural and heritage asset for generations to come and put the East End of Glasgow on the tourist map,
Work will start with the careful transfer of the People’s Palace Collection to publicly accessible Glasgow Museum stores.
Ahead of the project to revitalise both the People’s Palace and Winter Gardens, aficionados and those who have still to visit for the first time are being encouraged to seize this last chance to see the museum before it closes on Sunday, April 14.
Further information, including opening hours, can be found at www.glasgowlife.org.uk/museums/venues/peoples-palace
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