Bridport Museum
Creating a Museum for the 21st Century
We were chosen to help re-develop Bridport Museum; a major project supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund. Housed within a Grade II Listed Building, the museum was largely destroyed by fire in 1876, but the C16th facade survived. The Bridport Museum Trust wanted to update the building to conserve and display the recently acquired Sanctuary Rope and Net collection. This bequest includes machinery, objects and archives relating to the town’s status as an international centre for rope and net making. We adapted the shell of the building to incorporate the collection, with interior design by Smith and Jones.
Our client also wanted to make the building more accessible. Our design included a new lift, an accessible toilet and we decluttered the main entrance. A glass door, engraved by a local artist, creates a welcoming draught lobby while retaining the historic inner door. It was not possible to make another exit in this Listed and land-locked building, so in order to ensure fire safety we installed a sophisticated misting-sprinkler system.
For more information on the museum, see their website: http://www.bridportmuseum.co.uk/
