Nick Merriman
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Nicholas John Merriman (born 6 June 1960) is the chief executive of
English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, a battlefield, medieval castles, Roman forts, historic industrial sites, Lis ...
. He was the director of the
Horniman Museum and Gardens The Horniman Museum and Gardens is a museum in Forest Hill, London, England. Commissioned in 1898, it opened in 1901 and was designed by Charles Harrison Townsend in the Modern Style. It has displays of anthropology, natural history and musica ...
in south London from May 2018 to February 2024. Before that, he was the director of the
Manchester Museum Manchester Museum is a museum displaying works of archaeology, anthropology and natural history and is owned by the University of Manchester, in England. Sited on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road (A34 road, A34) at the heart of the university's group ...
in
Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
, England. He had earlier worked at the
Museum of London London Museum (known from 1976 to 2024 as the Museum of London) is a museum in London, covering the history of the city from prehistoric to modern times, with a particular focus on social history. The Museum of London was formed in 1976 by ama ...
and
University College, London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...
. In April 2017 he was made honorary professor of museum studies in the
University of Manchester The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The University of Manchester is c ...
. He is known for his contributions to the development of
public archaeology Community archaeology is archaeology by the people for the people. The field is also known as public archaeology. There is debate about whether the terms are interchangeable; some believe that community archaeology is but one form of public arch ...
and
museum studies Museology (also called museum studies or museum science) is the study of museums. It explores the history of museums and their role in society, as well as the activities they engage in, including curating, preservation, public programming, and ed ...
, and for influencing the heritage sector around issues of
cultural diversity Cultural diversity is the quality of diverse or different cultures, as opposed to Monoculturalism, monoculture. It has a variety of meanings in different contexts, sometimes applying to cultural products like art works in museums or entertainment ...
,
sustainability Sustainability is a social goal for people to co-exist on Earth over a long period of time. Definitions of this term are disputed and have varied with literature, context, and time. Sustainability usually has three dimensions (or pillars): env ...
and the future of
collections Collection or Collections may refer to: Computing * Collection (abstract data type), the abstract concept of collections in computer science * Collection (linking), the act of linkage editing in computing * Garbage collection (computing), autom ...
.


Early life

Merriman was born and brought up in
Sutton Coldfield Sutton Coldfield or the Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield ( ), is a town and civil parish in the city of Birmingham, West Midlands County, West Midlands, England. The town lies around 8 miles northeast of Birmingham city centre, 9 miles south of L ...
, and attended King Edward VI Grammar School in Edgbaston. From collecting old bottles stimulated by his father's collecting of antiques from the junk stores of Birmingham, he graduated to an interest in
archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...
, excavating most weekends from the age of 16 at the local Roman site of
Wall, Staffordshire Wall is a small village and civil parish in Staffordshire, England, just south of Lichfield. It lies on the site of the Roman settlement of Letocetum. The parish includes the small villages of Pipehill, Hilton and Chesterfield, and the tiny h ...
. He studied archaeology from 1979 to 1982 at the
University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
, attending St John's College, and spent the summers excavating at the site of Gars-Thunau in Lower Austria. From 1982 to 1983 he undertook a postgraduate course in museum studies at the
University of Leicester The University of Leicester ( ) is a public university, public research university based in Leicester, England. The main campus is south of the city centre, adjacent to Victoria Park, Leicester, Victoria Park. The university's predecessor, Univ ...
, after which he returned to Cambridge to study for a
PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...
which examined social barriers to museum visiting. This was later published as 'Beyond The Glass Case: The Past, the Heritage and the Public' (1991).


Career


Museum of London

Merriman began his career at the
Museum of London London Museum (known from 1976 to 2024 as the Museum of London) is a museum in London, covering the history of the city from prehistoric to modern times, with a particular focus on social history. The Museum of London was formed in 1976 by ama ...
in 1986 as
Curator A curator (from , meaning 'to take care') is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the particular ins ...
of
Prehistory Prehistory, also called pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the first known use of stone tools by hominins   million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use ...
and subsequently in 1991, Merriman became the head of Department of Early London History and Collections. During this time he led a project called ‘The Peopling of London’, which told the story of the capital's cultural diversity from ancient times to the present through a ground-breaking exhibition and related activities in 1993. Merriman also authored and edited an accompanying book of the same title, published in 1993.


University College London

In 1997 Merriman joined the Institute of Archaeology at
University College London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...
as senior lecturer, where he ran the
Museum Studies Museology (also called museum studies or museum science) is the study of museums. It explores the history of museums and their role in society, as well as the activities they engage in, including curating, preservation, public programming, and ed ...
Masters course and developed new courses in cultural heritage studies and in public
archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...
. He was later promoted to reader. While at UCL he became very interested in the university's extensive, but rather hidden, museums and collections, which include the
Petrie Museum The Petrie Museum of Egyptian and Sudanese Archaeology in London is part of University College London Museums and Collections. The museum contains over 80,000 objects, making it one of the world's largest collections of Egyptian and Sudanese ma ...
and the Grant Museum. He led the creation of a new university-wide museum service and became director of museums and collections alongside his academic duties. This later becam
UCL Culture


Clore Leadership Programme

In 2004, Merriman joined the inaugural
Clore Leadership Programme The Clore Duffield Foundation is a registered charity in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 2000 by the merger of two charitable foundations, the Clore Foundation of Charles Clore and his daughter's Vivien Duffield Foundation. Formation After ...
undertaking a bespoke scheme of training and development in cultural leadership. His research project looked at issues of memory and forgetting in memory institutions such as museums, in the context of thinking about sustainability and the disposal of objects from collections. Published in the journal Cultural Trends, this work was influential in driving the debate about these issues in the museum sector.


Manchester Museum

Merriman was appointed director of
Manchester Museum Manchester Museum is a museum displaying works of archaeology, anthropology and natural history and is owned by the University of Manchester, in England. Sited on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road (A34 road, A34) at the heart of the university's group ...
in the
University of Manchester The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The University of Manchester is c ...
in 2006. Merriman focused the museum's mission on promoting understanding between cultures and working towards a sustainable world and also oversaw the refurbishment of most of the museum's permanent galleries. This, together with a major programme of public engagement, led to a doubling of the museum's visitor numbers to over 500,000 a year. Over a decade, audiences also diversified to approximately reflect the demographics of the Greater Manchester population. The museum gained a reputation for innovative work. This included the installation of a '
hermit A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions. Description In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Chr ...
' in the museum's tower in 2009 where a
performance art Performance art is an artwork or art exhibition created through actions executed by the artist or other participants. It may be witnessed live or through documentation, spontaneously developed or written, and is traditionally presented to a pu ...
ist, Ansuman Biswas, lived for 40 days and 40 nights, contemplating the future of the planet and inviting people to think about why museums hold on to huge amounts of material, and the use of events company villa eugénie — who normally work on fashion launches — to work on the radical redisplay of the museum's natural history galleries. Merriman also led a £13m capital project to transform the capacity of the museum and open it up to wider publics, including a new exhibition hall, a South Asia Gallery in partnership with the
British Museum The British Museum is a Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human cu ...
and a Chinese Culture Gallery. In 2018 Merriman was succeeded by Esme Ward, the first female Director in the Museum's history, who saw the project through to opening in 2021. In 2017 Merriman was made Honorary Professor of Museum Studies at the University of Manchester.


Horniman Museum and Gardens

In May 2018 Merriman was appointed Chief Executive of the
Horniman Museum and Gardens The Horniman Museum and Gardens is a museum in Forest Hill, London, England. Commissioned in 1898, it opened in 1901 and was designed by Charles Harrison Townsend in the Modern Style. It has displays of anthropology, natural history and musica ...
in London, succeeding Dame Janet Vitmayer. Merriman was appointed
Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
(OBE) in the
2024 New Year Honours The 2024 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 15 Commonwealth realms to Orders and decorations of the Commonwealth realms, various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Hono ...
for services to the arts and heritage.


English Heritage

Merriman took up the role of chief executive of English Heritage in February 2024.


Other roles

Merriman was chair of the
International Council of Museums The International Council of Museums (ICOM) is a non-governmental organisation dedicated to museums, maintaining formal relations with UNESCO and having a consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. Founded in 1946, ...
(UK) from 2001 to 2004, president of the
Council for British Archaeology The Council for British Archaeology (CBA) is an educational charity established in 1944 in the UK. It works to involve people in archaeology and to promote the appreciation and care of the historic environment for the benefit of present and fut ...
from 2005 to 2008 and chair of the University Museums Group from 2009 to 2013. Merriman was convenor of the
Museums Association The Museums Association (MA) is a professional membership organisation based in London for museum, gallery and heritage professionals and organisations of the United Kingdom. It also offers international membership. History The association w ...
's ethics committee from 2008 to 2014 and chair of the
Collections Trust The Collections Trust is an independent UK-based charity that works with museums, libraries, galleries and archives worldwide to improve the management and use of collections. It was established in February 1977 as the Museum Documentation Associ ...
from 2013 to 2016. From 2017 to 2019 he was chair of the
Wellcome Trust The Wellcome Trust is a charitable foundation focused on health research based in London, United Kingdom. It was established in 1936 with legacies from the pharmaceutical magnate Henry Wellcome (founder of Burroughs Wellcome, one of the predec ...
’s Inspiring Science Fund committee. Merriman is chair of the environment and ecology subgroup of th
National Museum Directors’ Council


Personal life

Merriman was married to Caroline Beattie from 1994 to 2005 and they had two sons. Merriman married
Maria Balshaw Maria Jane Balshaw CBE (born 24 January 1970) is director of the Tate art museums and galleries. The appointment was confirmed by Theresa May, the UK Prime Minister at the time, on 16 January 2017, making Balshaw the first female director of ...
, director of
Tate Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the UK ...
in 2010.


Publications

* 2015 ''The future of collecting in ‘disciplinary’ museums: interpretive, thematic, relational''. In McCarthy, C (ed). ''Museum Practice''. Wiley Blackwell, Chichester: 249-266. * 2008 ''Museum collections and sustainability''. Cultural Trends 17(1) 2008: 3-21. * 2004 ''Public Archaeology''. (Edited, and with introduction and paper). Routledge, London. * 1999 ''Making Early Histories in Museums'' (Edited, and with introduction). Leicester University Press, Leicester. * 1993 ''The Peopling of London: Overseas Settlement from Prehistoric Times to Present''. (Edited and with introduction). Reaktion Books, London. * 1991 ''Beyond The Glass Case: The Past, the Heritage and the Public in Britain''. Leicester University Press, Leicester.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Merriman, Nick 1960 births Living people Directors of museums in the United Kingdom Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge Manchester Museum people Officers of the Order of the British Empire