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Grace Darling Museum to open in March
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is to open a new £1.5m museum dedicated to Grace Darling, the Victorian lifesaving heroine, in Northumberland on 4 March.
The original Grace Darling Museum opened on the Bamburgh site in 1938, and thanks largely to a Heritage Lottery Fund grant, its original Flemish brick façade now fronts a new two-storey museum.
The museum, managed by the RNLI Heritage Trust, has improved access for the public and provides better conditions for storing and displaying the Grace Darling collection. It also includes an education, research and community room, and will provide opportunities for learning, research, talks and special events, and a gift shop to help raise funds for the RNLI charity.
Maureen La Frenais, RNLI Grace Darling Museum project manager, said: “Although the building is quite modest in size this has been a challenging project. The footprint of the building is small but the features inside are of museum standard and complexity. Some of the environmentally friendly additions to the scheme include a green heating system that utilises heat from 100 metres underground, and lambs wool insulation in the walls.
“The unique collection relating to Grace and her family has required an extensive programme of conservation work and cleaning. For example the coble has been specially cleaned and placed in a bespoke cradle while Grace’s dress, has been magically transformed from dull brown to its original pink colour. We’re all extremely proud of this exciting RNLI flagship museum, and our volunteers are keen to extend a warm welcome to visitors.”
Grace Darling (1815-1842) became a national heroine after her and her father rescued nine survivors from the SS Forfarshire, which ran aground by Longstone Lighthouse, where Grace lived, in September 1838.
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