Bath Fashion Museum has received nearly £800,000 in National Lottery Heritage Fund support to help bring its doors back open in the city centre by 2030.
The museum, renowned for its vast collection of over 100,000 fashion items spanning four centuries, has been closed since 2022 when the National Trust reclaimed the Assembly Rooms, its former home. Bath and North East Somerset Council aims to relocate the museum to a prime new venue in the old post office building opposite Waitrose. After an unsuccessful bid for Levelling Up Fund money in 2023, this initial lottery grant allows the council to move forward with developing detailed plans.
Paul Roper, council cabinet member for economic and cultural sustainable development, expressed enthusiasm: “Thanks to National Lottery players, we can now progress with creating a new Fashion Museum of national and international significance. This world-class institution in a UNESCO World Heritage City will finally display our unique collection in a setting it truly deserves.”
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The collection itself is distinguished for its outstanding significance, featuring pieces dating back to 1600. Since the Assembly Rooms closure, the fragile collection has been securely stored at a glove factory in Wiltshire under controlled conditions, costing £150,000 annually.
Reopening the museum is a key component in the council’s broader vision to regenerate Bath’s Milsom Quarter and invigorate local tourism. Additionally, a new digital catalogue will make the collection accessible globally, enhancing its reach beyond physical visitors.
Stuart McLeod of the National Lottery Heritage Fund commented, “This initial funding supports a transformational project that will breathe new life into a Grade II listed building while making a globally significant collection available to everyone, both on-site and digitally.”
Helen Godwin, recently elected mayor of the West of England, highlighted the project’s regional impact: “Alongside the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority’s multimillion-pound investment in the wider Milsom Quarter regeneration, the Fashion Museum will play a pivotal role in ushering in a vibrant new era for our region.”