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Museum secures £1m lottery funding

Millie Trenholmin Worcester
News imageBBC This is an image of The Commandery, a museum in Worcester. It is an old, white building with black beams on the front of the building. There is an alleyway net to the building which has a sign that reads "The Commandery" above it.BBC
The funding will support vital conservation work and bring previously unseen treasures to the public

A collection that celebrates Worcestershire's strong military heritage has received a £1m boost.

The Worcestershire Soldier at The Commandery has been awarded the grant by The National Lottery Heritage Fund to safeguard the county's Regimental museum collections and secure public access for the future.

It aims to give the collections a long-term home, with four new galleries at The Commandery, which was the Royalist headquarters during the Battle of Worcester in 1651.

Adrian Gregson, chair of the city's Museums Committee, said: "Local museums are really important to local people. One of our key industries in Worcester and Worcestershire is our tourism industry."

He added that it had taken a long time to develop the project and secure the funding.

News imageA man stands in front of a sign that reads "The Worcestershire Soldier at The Commandery". He is wearing a pink and white striped shirt with a red patterned tie. He has short grey hair and is wearing a pair of black rimmed glasses. He is smiling.
The funding aims to strengthen community links and inspire new engagement with Worcester's military heritage

The Commandery has seen more than 85,000 visitors through its doors in the past year.

The money from the National Lottery Heritage Fund will be used by The Mercian Regiment Museum in partnership with Museums Worcestershire and the Worcestershire Yeomanry Trust.

"The lottery process is a competitive process, so there was no guarantee that we were going to receive this money," said Dr John Paddock, curator of The Mercian Regiment Museum.

He said the collections were in storage and without the funding, they would remain inaccessible to the public.

News imageA man stands in front of a white wall with black beams. He is wearing a navy blazer and a blue shirt. He has short, grey hair and is looking straight into the camera.
Dr John Paddock hopes the new exhibition will bring more people to the museum

It means the public will be able to access items that they have never seen before, he said.

The project is set to include six Victoria Crosses awarded to the Worcestershire Regiment in World War One.

"It [the funding] will allow us to conserve the collections for the long term future," Paddock said.

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