Bath's Fashion Museum Scores £7.2M for Glamorous New Home by 2030

The Fashion Museum in Bath is set to make a big comeback, thanks to a new grant of £7. 2 million. This funding will help the museum move to a new location in the city centre, inside the historic Old Post Office building. The museum is expected to reopen in 2030, after being closed since 2022 when its old home, the Assembly Rooms, was returned to the National Trust. The National Lottery Heritage Fund, which provided the grant, described the project as a 'once-in-a-generation' opportunity to restore and reuse the Old Post Office, a Grade II-listed building in Bath's Milsom Quarter.

The Fashion Museum Bath is famous for its impressive collection of 100,000 items that show how fashion has changed over the past 400 years, from 1600 to today. The museum's collection includes dresses, hats, shoes, and other clothing that tell the story of style and culture through the centuries. Bath & North East Somerset council leader Kevin Guy said the new funding is a 'transformational moment' for the city. He believes the museum will bring new life to the Old Post Office and help Bath invest in its future, even as other places are cutting back on their plans.

The £7. 2 million grant adds to earlier support, including £768,000 from the Heritage Fund and money from the West of England Combined Authority and Bath council. Helen Godwin, the mayor of the West of England, said the museum will make Bath even more attractive to visitors and show that the region is a leader in creativity and culture. Construction on the new museum is set to begin in late 2027, with the grand reopening planned for 2030. The museum's return is expected to boost tourism and celebrate Bath's long history of fashion and design. Local leaders and museum fans are looking forward to seeing the Old Post Office transformed into a modern space for learning and inspiration.