Sheffield Museums Trust, is a charity created in 2021 to run
Sheffield City Council
Sheffield City Council is the local authority for the City of Sheffield, a metropolitan borough with city status in South Yorkshire, England. The council consists of 84 councillors, elected to represent 28 wards, each with three councillors. ...
’s museums and galleries. It was formed from the merger of Sheffield Galleries & Museums Trust (Museums Sheffield), and Sheffield Industrial Museums Trust. It currently manages six sites in
the city:
Graves Art Gallery
Graves Art Gallery is an art gallery in Sheffield, England. The gallery is located above the Central Library in Sheffield city centre. It houses permanent displays from the city’s historic and contemporary collection of British and European ...
,
Millennium Gallery
The Millennium Gallery is an art gallery and museum in the centre of Sheffield, England. Opened in April 2001 as part of Sheffield's Heart of the City (development), Heart of the City project, it is located in the city centre close to the mainl ...
,
Weston Park Museum
Weston Park Museum is a museum in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. It is one mile west of Sheffield city centre within Weston Park. It is Sheffield's largest museum and is housed in a Grade II* listed building and managed by Museums Sheff ...
,
Kelham Island Museum
The Kelham Island Museum is an industrial museum on Alma Street, alongside the River Don, South Yorkshire, River Don, in the centre of Sheffield, England. It was opened in 1982.
The site
The island on which it is located is man-made, resultin ...
,
Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet
Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet is an industrial museum in the south of the Sheffield, City of Sheffield, England. The museum forms part of a former steel-working site on the River Sheaf, with a history going back to at least the 13th century. It c ...
, and
Shepherd Wheel Workshop, as well as being responsible for the city's historic collections. Its mission is to be 'an ambitious, resilient, and united museums service that represents, celebrates, and inspires Sheffield'. It is run from offices at
Leader House
Leader House is a Georgian architecture, Georgian townhouse on Surrey Street in the city centre of Sheffield, England. It overlooks Arundel Gate and is a Grade II listed building.
History
The house was built in 1770 by the Duke of Norfolk for h ...
on Surrey Street.
History
Predecessor organisations
Sheffield Galleries & Museums Trust, trading as Museums Sheffield, was a charity created in 1998 to run
Sheffield City Council
Sheffield City Council is the local authority for the City of Sheffield, a metropolitan borough with city status in South Yorkshire, England. The council consists of 84 councillors, elected to represent 28 wards, each with three councillors. ...
’s non-industrial museums and galleries. Museums Sheffield managed three sites in
the city:
Graves Art Gallery
Graves Art Gallery is an art gallery in Sheffield, England. The gallery is located above the Central Library in Sheffield city centre. It houses permanent displays from the city’s historic and contemporary collection of British and European ...
,
Millennium Gallery
The Millennium Gallery is an art gallery and museum in the centre of Sheffield, England. Opened in April 2001 as part of Sheffield's Heart of the City (development), Heart of the City project, it is located in the city centre close to the mainl ...
and
Weston Park Museum
Weston Park Museum is a museum in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. It is one mile west of Sheffield city centre within Weston Park. It is Sheffield's largest museum and is housed in a Grade II* listed building and managed by Museums Sheff ...
. Its offices were located at
Leader House
Leader House is a Georgian architecture, Georgian townhouse on Surrey Street in the city centre of Sheffield, England. It overlooks Arundel Gate and is a Grade II listed building.
History
The house was built in 1770 by the Duke of Norfolk for h ...
on Surrey Street. The trust was responsible for the care of the city's historic collections, including visual and decorative art, social history, archaeology and natural sciences. Its mission was 'to connect with our visitors, share stories about Sheffield and the wider world, and care for the city's collections'.
The Sheffield Industrial Museums Trust (SIMT) used to run the council's industrial museums:
Kelham Island Museum
The Kelham Island Museum is an industrial museum on Alma Street, alongside the River Don, South Yorkshire, River Don, in the centre of Sheffield, England. It was opened in 1982.
The site
The island on which it is located is man-made, resultin ...
,
Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet
Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet is an industrial museum in the south of the Sheffield, City of Sheffield, England. The museum forms part of a former steel-working site on the River Sheaf, with a history going back to at least the 13th century. It c ...
, and
Shepherd Wheel Workshop. The trust was originally created from a partnership between the City Council,
Sheffield Hallam University
Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) is a public research university in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The university is based on two sites; the City Campus is located in the city centre near Sheffield station, Sheffield railway station, whil ...
and the
Company of Cutlers in Hallamshire
The Company of Cutlers in Hallamshire is a trade guild of metalworkers based in Sheffield, England. It was incorporated in 1624 by an act of Parliament. The head is called the Master Cutler. Its motto is .
In the original act of Parliam ...
as ''Kelham Island Museum Ltd.'' in November 1994. It was reconstituted as the ''Sheffield Industrial Museums Trust'' in 1998 when the City Council passed to them control of the recently closed Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet and Shepherd Wheel. SIMT was commended by the
Museums, Libraries and Archives Council
The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) was until May 2012 a non-departmental public body and a registered charity in England with a remit to promote improvement and innovation in the area of museums, Library, libraries, and archives. ...
for its repairs to Kelham Island after the 2007 floods.
Post-merger
Following years of collaboration, Museums Sheffield and SIMT merged on 1 April 2021 to form Sheffield Museums Trust.
Sites
Non-industrial museums and art galleries
*
Graves Art Gallery
Graves Art Gallery is an art gallery in Sheffield, England. The gallery is located above the Central Library in Sheffield city centre. It houses permanent displays from the city’s historic and contemporary collection of British and European ...
- an art gallery showcasing historic and contemporary British and European art
*
Millennium Gallery
The Millennium Gallery is an art gallery and museum in the centre of Sheffield, England. Opened in April 2001 as part of Sheffield's Heart of the City (development), Heart of the City project, it is located in the city centre close to the mainl ...
- a museum housing collections and exhibitions relating to local history
*
Weston Park Museum
Weston Park Museum is a museum in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. It is one mile west of Sheffield city centre within Weston Park. It is Sheffield's largest museum and is housed in a Grade II* listed building and managed by Museums Sheff ...
- Sheffield's largest museum with locally-themed exhibitions
Industrial museums
*
Kelham Island Museum
The Kelham Island Museum is an industrial museum on Alma Street, alongside the River Don, South Yorkshire, River Don, in the centre of Sheffield, England. It was opened in 1982.
The site
The island on which it is located is man-made, resultin ...
- a museum hosting exhibitions on Sheffield's industrial history
*
Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet
Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet is an industrial museum in the south of the Sheffield, City of Sheffield, England. The museum forms part of a former steel-working site on the River Sheaf, with a history going back to at least the 13th century. It c ...
- former steel working site now run as a working museum
*
Shepherd Wheel
Shepherd Wheel is a working museum in a former water-powered grinding workshop situated on the Porter Brook in the south-west of the City of Sheffield, England. One of the earliest wheels on the River Porter, it is one of the few remaining—a ...
- a working 18th century water wheel and preserved workshop
References
External links
Official website
{{Authority control
Local government in Sheffield
2021 establishments in the United Kingdom
Museums in Sheffield