Bridport Museum

Bridport Museum, seen in 2011.

Bridport Museum is a museum in Bridport, Dorset, England. It is housed within an early 16th century building known as the Castle, located on South Street. The building has been Grade II* Listed since 1950.[1]

## History[edit]

The Bridport Museum and Art Gallery was established in 1932 by Captain Alfred Percy Codd, who had purchased the Castle for £1,800 the year before.[2] He offered to donate the building to Bridport Borough Council on the condition that it would be transformed into a museum and art gallery, which would house his own paintings. The council accepted Codd's offer and the museum opened on 28 May 1932.[3][4]

In 1974, the management of the museum was taken over by West Dorset District Council, and later in 2002 by the Bridport Museum Trust.[2] After years of planning, the museum closed to undergo a £1.3 million redevelopment in 2016. Funding had been received from various sources, including the Heritage Lottery Fund, Bridport Town Council, West Dorset District Council and public donation.[5] It reopened in May 2017 with new galleries and displays, while repair work had been completed on the building.[6][7]

## References[edit]

1. ^ "THE CASTLE (MUSEUM AND ART GALLERY), Bridport – 1227857". Historic England. 28 November 1950. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
2. ^ a b "History of Bridport & Bucky Doo (Buckydoo) Square – Bridport, UK". Westbay.co.uk. 5 May 1975. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
3. ^ "The history of the building". Bridport Museum. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
4. ^ "Netting the prize | Dorset Life – The Dorset Magazine". Dorset Life. 28 May 1932. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
5. ^ Rene Gerryts (13 September 2017). "Peeking behind the scenes at Bridport Museum after its refurbishment". Dorset Echo. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
6. ^ "Bridport Museum set to re-open after "complete transformation"". Dorset Echo. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
7. ^ "Bridport Museum set for redevelopment after lottery grant – BBC News". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 9 March 2018.

Coordinates: 50°43′57″N 2°45′28″W﻿ / ﻿50.7325°N 2.7579°W﻿ / 50.7325; -2.7579

## External links[edit]

* Bridport Museum – official site