Swindon council offices to be turned into art gallery

Work to turn a council's offices into a temporary art gallery and museum has begun.

It includes installing an accessible passenger lift in Swindon Borough Council's Civic Offices on Euclid Street.

Work on the lift started this week and is expected to be finished in the next few weeks.

Councillor Marina Strinkovsky said: "It's great to finally see work begin on this new museum and art gallery.

"I know a lot of people have been waiting a long time for this new space and I can't wait to see it finished.

"There is still a lot of work to be done, so make sure you're following the council's social media pages to get the latest on the project when the main construction work begins."

When complete, the gallery spaces on the upper floor at the offices will provide around 40% more display space compared to its previous home at Apsley House in Old Town.

Linda Kasmaty, the chairman of the Friends of the Swindon Museum and Art Gallery, said: "We look forward to working closely with them and their officers to support them in their drive to create the best and most professional museum that they can."

The council says it will provide improved working conditions and additional areas for staff, volunteers and researchers, presenting an opportunity to restart the museum and art gallery's volunteer programme.

At the moment, the ground floor of the building is being used to host temporary displays from the museum's collections and is currently home to the Landscape and Longing exhibition.

Work is expected to finish in summer 2024.

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