Bailiffgate Museum's Move to Northumberland Hall Takes Shape

Alnwick's Bailiffgate Museum is on the move, and the volunteer-run museum's ambitious new chapter is now taking physical shape. Restoration work has begun inside the Grade I listed Northumberland Hall, the handsome building on the corner of the Market Place that will become the museum's much larger new home.

The project is backed by a £4.3m award from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, alongside up to £1.7m from the Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal. As reported by the Northumberland Gazette, the funding brings a long-held vision within reach: bringing an under-used landmark back into everyday use as a museum for the town.

A bigger home for the town's story

Bailiffgate has spent 23 years in the former St Mary's Church on Bailiffgate, telling the story of Alnwick and the surrounding district across 10,000 years of history. The move to Northumberland Hall, built in 1826 for the third Duke of Northumberland and once used as the town's assembly rooms, will roughly triple the space available.

That extra room means more of the collection on display, better facilities and a more flexible space for exhibitions, workshops and events.

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Building works are scheduled to run through the project, with public events and activities, including performances and creative-skills workshops, planned along the way. The restored building is expected to open to the public in 2028.

Why it matters locally

Northumberland Hall has stood at the heart of Alnwick for two centuries but has been under-used for years. Restoring it as a community museum keeps a significant listed building in active use and gives the town's heritage a fitting, accessible home right in the centre.

For a museum run largely by volunteers, it is a considerable undertaking, and one that will keep Alnwick's history visible and cared for well into the future.

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