The Saddleworth Museum is a

local history Local history is the study of history in a geographically local context, often concentrating on a relatively small local community. It incorporates cultural history, cultural and social history, social aspects of history. Local history is not mer ...

museum A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...

Uppermill Uppermill is a village in the civil parish of Saddleworth in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, it lies on the River Tame in a valley amongst the South Pennines with t ...

Saddleworth Saddleworth is a civil parishes in England, civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham in Greater Manchester, England. It comprises several villages and Hamlet (place), hamlets as well as suburbs of Oldham on the Saddleworth Moor, west ...

Greater Manchester Greater Manchester is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders Lancashire to the north, Derbyshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Cheshire to the south, and Merseyside to the west. Its largest settlement is the city of Manchester. ...

, England. Founded in 1962, the museum is housed in the remains of the 19th-century Victoria Mill and its collections showcase the history of Saddleworth.

Founding and early history

In 1959 Roger Tanner purchased the derelict Victoria Mill. With the help of volunteers, the mill's sole remaining building was transformed into a museum dedicated to preserving the heritage of Saddleworth. The museum opened its doors to the public in 1962. Over the next two decades, the museum focused on expanding its collections, developing exhibits, and securing

accreditation Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

and

charitable status A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definition of a cha ...

. A

board of trustees A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...

was formed to guide the museum's mission. In 1980 a successful public appeal campaign allowed the museum to expand and add a community gallery for

art exhibition An art exhibition is traditionally the space in which art objects (in the most general sense) meet an audience. The exhibit is universally understood to be for some temporary period unless, as is occasionally true, it is stated to be a "permanen ...

s and local events. This period also saw the museum establish partnerships with local organisations.

Challenges and refurbishment

By 2010 the museum faced significant challenges, including dwindling public funding and the increasing strain of maintaining its aging infrastructure. In response, the museum opened its own

visitor information center A visitor center or centre (see American and British English spelling differences), visitor information center or tourist information centre is a physical location that provides information to tourists. Types A visitor center may be a Civic ce ...

and launched a

fundraising campaign Fundraising or fund-raising is the process of seeking and gathering voluntary financial contributions by engaging individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Although fundraising typically refers to efforts to gathe ...

. A successful

grant Grant or Grants may refer to: People * Grant (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Grant (surname), including a list of people and fictional characters ** Ulysses S. Grant (1822–1885), the 18th president of the Un ...

application to the

National Heritage Lottery Fund The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom. History The fund's predecessor bodies were t ...

in 2014 allowed for a major

refurbishment Refurbishment may refer to: *Refurbishment (electronics), restoration and testing of pre-owned electronic devices *Sustainable refurbishment, modification of existing buildings to improve environmental performance *Antiques restoration *Automotive ...

project. The project included significant improvements to the building's exterior and interior, including creating a modern reception area, fully refurbished galleries with high-tech and interactive exhibits, and dedicated

learning space Learning space or learning setting refers to a physical setting for a learning environment, a place in which teaching and learning occur. The term is commonly used as a more definitive alternative to "classroom," but it may also refer to an ...

s for children.

Recent developments

On 20 March 2020, in response to the outbreak of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, the museum closed to the public. It reopened on 22 May 2021 with an upgraded website and

social media Social media are interactive technologies that facilitate the Content creation, creation, information exchange, sharing and news aggregator, aggregation of Content (media), content (such as ideas, interests, and other forms of expression) amongs ...

presence. The online platform allows the museum to reach a wider audience and offer virtual experiences, online shopping, and ticketing options. Volunteers support the museum's operations, while the "Friends of the Saddleworth Museum and Gallery" group organises fundraising events and membership programmes. The museum remains financially sustainable through a combination of earned income (art gallery fees, admissions, shop sales, and educational programmes) and public donations.

References

External links

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18 paintings from the museum
at

Art UK Art UK is a cultural, education charity in the United Kingdom, previously known as the Public Catalogue Foundation. Since 2003, it has digitised more than 300,000 paintings, sculptures and other artworks by more than 53,700 artists. It was found ...

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