Hackney Museum secures grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund for major transformation
Once-in-a-generation transformation of Hackney Museum given green light
Hackney Council has been awarded a £2,241,216 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to redesign and modernise Hackney Museum, creating a more dynamic and inclusive space for residents, with the aim to use the museum’s unique historical collections in bold and exciting new ways.
The new permanent exhibition at the museum will highlight how the local area has been shaped by 300,000 years of migration and settlement. Alongside the redesign and redisplay of the permanent exhibition, other significant changes will include a new visitor reception, two temporary exhibition areas, a redeveloped community room, an improved shop, events and teaching spaces, and enhanced digital resources so more people can access Hackney’s rich histories.
Local community groups and organisations will play a key role in shaping the redevelopment, contributing ideas towards permanent and temporary exhibitions, digital content, and skills development programmes. There will be opportunities for volunteers to get involved and help reveal local histories about the impact of the Blitz, activism and social change.
Stories and objects in the new permanent exhibition will explore the social and economic changes which have made the area a desirable place to live, as well as a range of issues which have challenged communities too. The borough’s long history of community solidarity and activism will be showcased. Hackney’s famous Anglo-Saxon longboat discovered in Springfield Park will be redisplayed, alongside the much-loved replica of the boat which thousands of children have sat in. Remains of a 300,000 year old straight tusked elephant - the world's largest ever land mammal - discovered in Evering Road, Stoke Newington, will be displayed to show a time when the local climate and landscape were dramatically different, with Hackney resembling a South African savannah.
Caroline Woodley, Mayor of Hackney, said: "Hackney Central is changing. This funding is fantastic news for Hackney Museum, which has been telling the borough’s incredible stories for nearly 40 years.
"Hackney has a rich and diverse history – from its rural past before the 1850s to the housing boom of the late 19th century, the arrival of the railways and industrialisation, through to the devastation of the Blitz during the Second World War, and the borough’s more recent transformations as a 2012 Olympic host borough.
"Over this long period of time people from around the world have made Hackney their home and shaped the places we know today."
Cllr Chris Kennedy, Cabinet member for health, adult social care, voluntary sector and culture, said: "The new displays will be imaginative, interactive and immersive with opportunities for hands-on learning and play. This transformation will ensure Hackney Museum can continue to be a vital place for communities, education and inspiration for all residents, and a place for visitors from all over the world to come and find out more about Hackney’s histories.
“We are thrilled to have received this support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players, Hackney Museum will remain a space where local people can celebrate their heritage, explore their identity, and contribute to the ever-evolving story of Hackney."
Stuart McLeod, Director of England - London and the South at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: "It is fantastic news that thanks to the National Lottery players, we have supported Hackney Museum with this transformational project. At the Heritage Fund, our vision is simple: we want heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone’s future and this project is a fantastic example of this. It is a once-in-a-generation redevelopment that will ensure that the borough’s heritage is brought to life in innovative ways, representing the diverse cultures and stories of its community.”
The four-year project will require Hackney Museum to close for a year from late 2025, reopening by early 2027. During this period, the museum will continue its work through community projects across the borough. A programme of events and exhibitions to celebrate the relaunch will run from throughout 2027 and 2028.
Find out more about the Reimagining Hackney Museum project
Notes to editors
About Hackney Museum
Hackney Museum was established in 1986 and opened in 1987 as the community history museum for the London Borough of Hackney. It explores the history of the area that is now the London Borough of Hackney and is based in Hackney central, next to Hackney Town Hall. The current displays, which opened in 2002, explore the diverse stories of migration and settlement to the area. The Museum’s collections represent the everyday lives of people in the borough, many of whom have migrated from different parts of the world. Hackney Museum’s mission is to continue to be a trusted space where the borough’s communities can tell their own stories, explore their shared histories, and reflect on contemporary issues in a historical context.
Find out more about Hackney Museum
About The National Lottery Heritage Fund
Our vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future. That’s why as the largest funder for the UK’s heritage we are dedicated to supporting projects that connect people and communities to heritage, as set out in our strategic plan, Heritage 2033. Heritage can be anything from the past that people value and want to pass on to future generations. We believe in the power of heritage to ignite the imagination, offer joy and inspiration, and to build pride in place and connection to the past.
Over the next 10 years, we aim to invest £3.6billion raised for good causes by National Lottery players to make a decisive difference for people, places and communities.
Find out more about the Heritage Fund
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