Historical society awarded funding for essential maintenance at Bakewell museum

The grant also includes a tranche of funding for a visioning process which will help form the future direction of the museum alongside its communities and regional partners.

Bakewell Old House Museum is housed in a grade II* listed building, considered the oldest domestic building in Bakewell. Built in 1534 as a tithe collector’s house and expanded in the Elizabethan period into a gentleman’s residence, it was converted in 1777 by Richard Arkwright into six dwellings for employees at the nearby Lumford Mill. Left to degrade for a number of years, the building, then known locally as the Parsonage House, was saved by the newly formed Bakewell and District Historical Society in 1955.

Ken Smith, Chair of the Society, said the grant will allow future generations to enjoy the museum. He said: “I am so pleased that our track record of caring for local heritage and delivering enjoyment to so many people over the years has given The National Lottery Heritage Fund the confidence to support our ambition of improving the museum building and mapping how we want to deliver more, to more people, over the coming decades. For a small museum, with limited resources, this Heritage Fund support is invaluable in helping us engage with our wide range of communities over the coming years.”

The grant will also enable the museum to embark on an ambitious visioning process, which will set the direction for the next phase of the museum’s development. Greg MacJudges, the Manager Curator of Bakewell Old House Museum, said: “It is incredibly exciting to receive this grant from the Heritage Fund. It will enable us to reflect on the future of the museum and how we can better connect with our members and visitors, whether they have lived in the area all their life or are visiting for the day.

"We’ll be reaching out to local communities and partner organisations in the coming months and would encourage everyone who wants to be involved in the museum’s future to contact us on [email protected].”

The works to the museum are likely to start towards the end of summer 2026 and will run through until 2028. The museum will remain open every day between 1100 and 1600 throughout the works apart from its usual period of seasonal closure (November to March).

The museum will run drop-in events during 2026 to provide updates on the building maintenance and visioning process. These will be announced in due course and listed on www.oldhousemuseum.org.uk.