The Bath Fashion Museum has been awarded £768,000 in National Lottery funding to support its reopening in 2030. The museum, which closed in 2022 after the National Trust reclaimed the Assembly Rooms—its home for nearly six decades—will return to a new location on New Bond Street in Bath.
The museum’s extensive collection, which spans 400 years of fashion history from 1600 to the present day, has been stored in a glove factory in Wiltshire. The collection, consisting of approximately 100,000 items, will be relocated to the newly planned museum once renovations are complete.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s grant will be used to advance the project, which is central to the regeneration of Bath’s Milson Quarter. The Bath and North East Somerset Council sees the reopening of the museum as a vital step in enhancing the city’s tourism and cultural offerings.
In 2023, the council’s bid for additional funding through the Levelling Up Fund to reopen the museum in its new location was unsuccessful. However, it is preparing to apply for a full National Lottery grant of £7.2 million in the coming year to further support the project.
The current arrangement, where the museum’s collection is stored in Wiltshire, costs the council £150,000 annually. Storing the fragile items in the proper conditions is essential for their preservation.
Paul Roper, Cabinet Member for Economic and Cultural Sustainable Development, expressed enthusiasm for the project’s progress, stating, “This is going to be a new, world-class institution in a UNESCO World Heritage City. There is huge excitement that, at long last, we will be able to display our unique and outstanding fashion collection in a location and setting that it fully deserves.”
The council also plans to create a digital catalogue for the collection, enabling global access for audiences interested in the fashion history it represents.
Stuart McLeod from the National Lottery Heritage Fund emphasized the broader impact of the project, saying, “Not only will a Grade II listed building be brought back to life, but also a globally significant collection will be accessible to everyone, both in person and digitally.”
