Are you taking the Wills Founder Engine?
Of course we are! This is the centre piece of the Museum. It does present some challenges not least because it takes up 8.5m of vertical space and then the balance beam takes even more horizontal space. It was the first artefact installed in the Museum and then had the mezzanine built around it, which means it will be one of the last items out of the current Museum and one of the last items into the new Museum. It does come apart and compared with undoing rusted up bolts whilst working 360ft underground with water pouring down a shaft onto you it will be a much more pleasant job.
Will you still have the tunnels and a climbing shaft?
Absolutely. If anything they will be even more amazing and provide an even better experience of the type of tunnels and challenges miners worked in.
Isn’t this move going to cost quite a lot of money?
We will need grant funding to help with the move. IQ will provide us with a big open space, just like we started with at the current Museum. We will need to install ramps and mezzanines, the new tunnels and maybe even a cliff. Then we will transfer most of the existing Museum display and create additional exhibition panels for the quarrying part of the Museum. If you are able to direct us towards any grant funding or have experience applying for large pots of money do get in touch with Clare our Museum manager.
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