Art gallery has eye on past in £8m revamp

Now the original roof space at York Art Gallery has been revealed for the first time in 60 years as part of an £8m re-development. The wooden roof work was part of the original Victorian building which opened in 1879, but it was concealed at some point between 1945 and 1952 as part of an initial revamp.

Contractors have now removed a false ceiling to once again show the full extent of the original design, and the space will be converted into a mezzanine gallery to form part of the Centre for British Studio Ceramics. The work is being funded by organisations including the National Lottery and York Council, and the gallery will re-open in the spring of 2015.

York Museums Trust’s chief executive, Janet Barnes, said: “From the very start of our planning for the gallery’s development it was always our aim to remove the false ceiling and show off the original Victorian roof work. It is a fantastic space and it will make a dramatic impact to visitors when they first walk in to the new look gallery when we reopen in 2015.”

The revamp of the building, which closed in December last year, will also create three galleries on the ground floor. There will be 60 per cent more exhibition space as well as more room for learning and new gardens, linked to Museum Gardens.

[email protected]