Bridport Museum facts for kids
Bridport Museum is a cool place to visit in Bridport, Dorset, England. It's inside a really old building from the early 1500s. This building is known as the Castle and you can find it on South Street. It's so old and important that it has been officially protected since 1950!
The Museum's Story
How It All Began
The Bridport Museum and Art Gallery first opened its doors in 1932. A man named Captain Alfred Percy Codd started it. He bought the old Castle building for £1,800 a year before. Captain Codd then offered to give the building to the local council. He had one condition: it had to become a museum and art gallery. He also wanted his own paintings to be shown there. The council agreed, and the museum officially opened on May 28, 1932.
New Beginnings for the Museum
Later, in 1974, the West Dorset District Council took over running the museum. Then, in 2002, the Bridport Museum Trust started managing it. After many years of planning, the museum closed in 2016 for a big makeover. This project cost about £1.3 million! Money came from different places, like the Heritage Lottery Fund, Bridport Town Council, and kind donations from people. The museum reopened in May 2017. It had brand new galleries and displays, and the old building had been carefully repaired.
