Melton museum to close until February for major spruce up

As a consequence, Melton Carnegie Museum will close on Sunday December 19 and not reopen again until Tuesday February 8.

The works will mean that artefacts will need to be removed, photographed, catalogued and stored, before being redisplayed once the refurbishments are complete.

This will also mark the start of a programme of updates and improvements to some of the displays and interpretation panels which will continue over the next few months, starting with a re-working of the entrance area and improving the display of the water pump and the pharmacy shop in the rural trades gallery.

Leicestershire County Council’s cabinet member for heritage, leisure and arts, Councillor Christine Radford, said: “Melton Carnegie Museum is a wonderful showcase for the history and people of this vibrant market town and the wider borough, with exhibits stretching from the Bronze Age right up to the present day.

“The museum attracts visitors of all ages from within the county and far beyond, and we get so much feedback from them about what a gem it is.

“These improvement works will make it an even more welcoming and attractive place to visit.”

The museum features displays on the history of the town’s iconic cheese and pork pies, while galleries include Melton Through the Ages with Anglo Saxon and Viking archaeology and paintings by the sporting artist John Ferneley, the history of fox hunting, recreations of traditional shops and trades, and the changing countryside in the 20th century.