Geffrye Museum to hold open evening on development plans

New external garden space and the proposed garden gallery along the back of the almshouses. Images: David Chipperfield Architects Limited

Hackney residents have the chance to give feedback and hear about the Geffrye Museum’s development plans.

The plans are being proposed to cut congestion due to an increasing number of visitor and are inspired by ‘the vision to make the Geffrye Museum the Museum of the Home’.

The project will include creating a new entrance opposite Hoxton station, a two-storey extension, and the refurbishment and expansion of the education spaces.

The development aims to preserve the charm of the Grade I listed building, but include the demolition of a pub, the Marquis of Lansdowne, that has been closed since 1995.

The project is estimated to cost 18.9m, and will partly be funded by a Heritage Lottery Fund, and the museum hopes to secure the remaining £8m through fundraising.

The development application was submitted last December to Hackney Council, and the decision on whether permission will be granted for the development should be given in April.

The meeting is the first of many that the organisers hope will will ensure that the public and local residents are kept informed about the upcoming developments.

The open day will take place on 20 March 2013 at the museum, between 6-7pm, and will include the chance to meet David Dewing, the director, and see an architect’s model of what the Geffrye Museum will look like after the developments.

Geffrye Museum Open Day
6-7pm Wednesday 20 March 2013
136 Kingsland Road
Hackney
E2 8EA