New trust takes over the city's museums

Birmingham's museums are now being run by an independent charity, Birmingham Museums Trust, which has taken over from the city council.

The trust took over the running of Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, Thinktank science museum and seven other sites in April.

Which museums are included

As well as the Museum and Art Gallery in Chamberlain Square and Thinktank at Millennium Point, the trust runs the city's heritage sites, including Aston Hall, Blakesley Hall, Sarehole Mill, Soho House, the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter and Weoley Castle.

It is the largest independent museums trust in the country.

Why the change

The council says that moving the museums into an independent trust will allow them to raise money from sources that are not open to a council, such as charitable grants and donations, and to be run in a more flexible and business-like way. The council will continue to own the buildings and collections, and to provide funding.

The change comes at a time of deep cuts to council budgets, and supporters of the move hope it will help protect the museums from the worst of the savings.

Thinktank joins

Thinktank, which opened in 2001 at Millennium Point, was previously run by its own independent trust. It replaced the city's old Museum of Science and Industry, which closed in 2001, with some of its exhibits moving to the new museum. Thinktank charges for entry and has a planetarium, which was added in 2005.

A world-class collection

Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery is home to one of the finest collections of Pre-Raphaelite art in the world, as well as collections of fine and decorative art, archaeology and local history. Entry is free, although some major exhibitions in the Gas Hall carry a charge.

In recent years, the museum has also become home to the Staffordshire Hoard, the largest collection of Anglo-Saxon gold ever found, which it bought jointly with the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery in Stoke-on-Trent after a public appeal.

Historic houses

The heritage sites include some of Birmingham's most important historic buildings. Aston Hall is a Jacobean mansion built in the early 17th century. Soho House was the home of the industrialist Matthew Boulton and a meeting place for the Lunar Society. Sarehole Mill, a water mill in Hall Green, is known for its links to J. R. R. Tolkien, who played there as a child.

Looking ahead

The trust hopes to increase visitor numbers, attract new audiences and raise more money from donations, sponsorship and commercial activities such as cafes, shops and events.

Museum staff have transferred from the council to the new trust. Visitors should see little immediate change, with opening hours and free entry at the Museum and Art Gallery continuing as before.