Local History

The doors of the City Museum and Mappin Art gallery closed in March 2003 so that the buildings, now known simply as Weston Park Museum, could undergo a complete overhaul.

Weston Park was designed by Robert Marnock in 1873 - the man who also designed the Botanical Gardens and the General Cemetery in Sheffield.

The park contains many listed structures and monuments, including a rare example of a late Victorian bandstand and the museum is the oldest in Sheffield – a Grade II listed building which was home to the City Museum and Gallery during the Victorian era and opened its doors to the public in 1875.

The City Museum housed a variety of displays including the city's natural history, archaeology, social and decorative art collections.

Over the years the state of the building deteriorated, and as a result the exhibits were at risk of being damaged.

Thankfully a number of trust funds, including Sheffield City Council and the Heritage Lottery Fund made over £17m available to breathe new life into the museum. The money was used to recreate a modern home for the city's collections, with admission free for all.

Museum entrance

The Sheffield Galleries & Museums Trust were given the huge task of organising and overseeing the development.

On show

The museum contains a 'Sheffield Life and Times' area, displaying objects which reflect the history of local communities - Sheffield past and present; the industry, the people and their skills which shaped our region.

The museum has an interactive weather station containing over 100 years of local data, 'Artic World' demonstrates life in a land of ice and snow, and 'What On Earth' gives visitors the opportunity to experience life through the eyes of a scientist - investigating live insects, joining badgers underground and even testing your strength against a shrimp!

The 'Treasures' space displays a variety of ancient and modern artifacts from Sheffield and around the world, while 'About Art' is home to paintings, sculptures - some from the previous Mappin Art Gallery.

Hundreds of items have been acquired to add to the million-plus objects that were removed from the museum before the restoration and redevelopment began, and Weston Park's facade has been developed to allow for better access and to restore the outer walls to their former glory.

Click on the link on the right of this page to take a look at pictures of the building past, present and also during refurbishment.