During the week-end of November 29 and 30, visitors had the opportunity to celebrate the 140th anniversary of Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery. Over the whole weekend, there was opportunities to go behind the scenes into parts of the museum that visitors don’t usually see with ‘hidden spaces’ taster tours. While ‘my first museum’ tours were organized for young visitors under five years of age and their families.
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery building was officially opened on Saturday 28 November 1885 by the Prince of Wales (the future Edward VII). Since then, it is estimated that around 100 million people have visited the museum.
New displays and exhibition rooms
After having closed in March 2020 due to the pandemic, a program of essential maintenance works had to be carried out across the listed building. The reopening to the public occurred in October 2024. In a first phase, the museum opened new displays in the Round Room and Industrial Gallery as well as two new galleries dedicated to children and families.
This was followed by the reopening of the history galleries in May 2025, along with a new display, The Elephant in the Room, which explores how artifacts from around the world came to be part of Birmingham Museums’ collections.
The phased reopening has continued with a new display of over 60 works from the city’s Pre-Raphaelite collection across four newly refurbished galleries and full public access to the Staffordshire Hoard in October 2025.
Sara Wajid and Zak Mensah, co-chief executives of Birmingham Museums Trust, said: “From its foundation in the 19th century, the museum has been woven into the fabric of Birmingham life. We’re proud to celebrate the many stories it holds – and even prouder to help write its next chapter.”
“This milestone isn’t just a look back – it’s an invitation to imagine what lies ahead and to celebrate a museum that is evolving with its city and reminding us that cultural institutions can be vibrant, inclusive and rooted in local stories,” they added.
Finding two million £
However, the museum needs funds as only half of the trust’s costs are currently covered by public funds.
Tells Wajid and Mensah: “Our museums are at a critical crossroads. We are very grateful to receive regular funding from Birmingham City Council and Arts Council England, but the reality is that for every pound we receive we must raise the same again to keep the doors open.
“The lifeline funding from the Museum Renewal Fund earlier this year has made a real difference in the short term, enabling us to invest in activities recommended by our citizens’ jury such as extended opening hours, but the funding must be spent by the end of January, underlining just how temporary this support is. The campaign “Your Museums, Your Move” is a call to action to the people of Birmingham and beyond, including businesses and organizations, to invest in the city’s greatest cultural asset. And helping us to create a world class museum service which can be at the forefront of making Birmingham a great place to live, work, play and visit.”
The campaign, “Your Museums, Your Move” aims to raise at least two million pounds (US$2.65 million) over the next two years.