SeaCity Museum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids SeaCity Museum |
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SeaCity Museum, viewed from the North. The pavilion is in the foreground.
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| General information | |
| Location | Southampton, United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 50°54′29″N 1°24′28″W / 50.908021°N 1.407664°W |
| Opened | 10 April 2012 |
| Cost | £15,000,000 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Wilkinson Eyre (refurbishment and extension) E. Berry Webber (original building) |
| Main contractor | Kier Southern |
The SeaCity Museum is an exciting museum in Southampton, England. It opened on April 10, 2012. This date was special because it marked 100 years since the famous ship RMS Titanic left Southampton. The museum is inside a part of the civic centre building. This building is very old and special, known as a Grade II* listed building. Before the museum, this part of the building was used as a court and a police station.
The museum has two main exhibits that are always there. One tells the story of Southampton's link to the RMS Titanic. The other shows how Southampton has been a key place for people traveling around the world. There is also a third area for special exhibits that change over time. This area is in a new, specially built part of the civic centre. The museum was designed by Wilkinson Eyre, and Kier Southern built it. The museum cost £15 million to build. About £5 million came from the Heritage Lottery Fund, which helps pay for important heritage projects. The rest of the money came from the city council and a special trust.
Contents
How the Museum Started
Finding a Home for the Museum
Ideas for a new history center in Southampton began in 2002. The city council created a group to explore options. They wanted to find the best way to create a "Story of Southampton" center. In 2004, they looked at a few possible places for the museum. These included Lower High Street, Mayflower Park, and a spot at the Port of Southampton. They also considered an old shipyard in Woolston.
However, all these places were too expensive or difficult to use. Then, in 2006, the Southampton Police decided to move out of their headquarters in the civic centre. They needed more space. The court had already left the building in 2001. This meant a whole part of the civic centre would be empty. So, the civic centre became a great choice for the new history center. By 2007, it was the top choice.
Early Plans and Costs
Plans for the civic centre museum were shared in 2008. The first ideas included adding a three-story part to the building. They also thought about a water feature from nearby Watts Park. But these ideas were removed to save money. This cut the cost by £10 million, bringing it down to £28 million.
The project was then split into two parts. The first part would focus on Southampton's connection to the Titanic. This is when the name "SeaCity" was chosen. This first part had a budget of £15 million. It was planned to be finished in 2012.
Paying for the Museum
Getting Help from the Heritage Lottery Fund
Southampton City Council asked the Heritage Lottery Fund for money to build the museum. In 2009, they received £0.5 million to plan the museum. Then, in 2010, they got another £4.6 million for the actual building work.
Finding the Rest of the Money
To get the rest of the £15 million, the city council thought about selling some art from their city collection in 2009. They chose two artworks to sell. One was a painting by Alfred Munnings called After the Race. The other was a bronze statue by Auguste Rodin, either Eve or Crouching Woman. The council felt these artworks did not fit with the gallery's main focus on modern British art.
The city's art gallery could only show about 200 of its 3,500 artworks at one time. The council hoped selling these two pieces would create space in the new museum to show 100 more artworks. They hoped to raise £5 million from the sale.
Concerns and Changes
Many people in the city were worried about selling the artworks. They felt it was wrong to sell public art. Some politicians said it would hurt the city's museum reputation. They also worried it might stop people from donating art in the future. A group called "Save our Collection" was formed to protest the sale. They gathered over 2,500 signatures on a petition.
The Museums Association also said the sale went against their rules. They believed the city council had not looked enough for other ways to get money. Because of all this strong opposition, the city council stopped the art sale in November 2009. By February 2010, they completely canceled the plan.
The council then found other ways to get money. They looked at selling other city properties that were not being used. They also sought help from other groups. A charity called the Southampton Cultural Development Trust was started in 2010 to raise money for the museum. The museum also received grants from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and other foundations.
In its first two years, the museum's income was lower than expected. Fewer visitors came than they hoped. Visitor numbers have continued to drop in later years. This has raised some concerns about how the museum will be funded in the long term.
Building the Museum
Southampton City Council chose the design team in July 2009. Wilkinson Eyre led the design. A year later, Kier Southern was chosen as the main builder. Even with some worries about how the new part would look, English Heritage approved the designs. Final permission to build was given in September 2010, and work began in October.
There were some challenges during building. Workers found a lot of rust on the original building's steel frame, which had to be fixed. It was also tricky to add the security needed for museum exhibits in such an old building. But parts of the original building were kept. For example, the old prison cells were turned into restrooms. An old court room was kept as an exhibit space.
By August 2011, the builders reached the top of the new part, called the pavilion. The pavilion was designed with three connecting sections. This helped it fit the uneven ground, which rises two meters from one side to the other. Stone was used on the outside of the pavilion to match the original civic centre building's stone. The designers said the pavilion was a "bold architectural addition" that showed a "new important cultural attraction."
The finished museum has 2,000 square meters of space for exhibits and learning. The museum opened on time on April 10, 2012. This was exactly 100 years after the RMS Titanic left Southampton. The city council thought the museum would get over 150,000 visitors each year. This number was reached only in the first year, and visitor numbers have fallen since then.
What You Can See: Exhibits
There are three main exhibits at SeaCity, all designed by Urban Salon. Two exhibits are always there, located in the old police station and court areas.
- Gateway to the World looks at Southampton's history. It shows how the city has been a key place for people moving around the world. One cool exhibit is a huge, one-ton, seven-meter-long model of the RMS Queen Mary ship. This model used to be in another museum. Two other Southampton museums closed in 2011 so their exhibits could be moved to SeaCity and Tudor House Museum.
- Southampton's Titanic Story tells the sad story of the Titanic through the eyes of its crew. Most of the crew members lived in Southampton. In a preserved court room, you can watch videos that show scenes from the official investigation into the sinking. You can also see the civic centre clock tower, which is about as tall as a Titanic funnel. This helps you imagine how huge the ship was. The exhibit also has real recordings from survivors. You can even try to steer a virtual ship or stoke its engines!
The new pavilion area is used for special exhibits that change. The first one, for the Titanic 100-year anniversary, was called Titanic: The Legend. It explored why people are still so fascinated by the ship. It showed how the Titanic has been shown in movies and books. The exhibit had screens playing scenes from old and new Titanic movies. It also showed many fun items like "mourning bears" and jigsaw puzzles related to the Titanic.
One reviewer said that comparing the height of the civic centre to the Titanic was a great idea. They also liked how the graphics made the story easy to understand for everyone. They felt that Southampton was the perfect place to remember those who were on the Titanic's first and last voyage.
Another reviewer praised the new building. They said it was much better than the old museum space. They liked how the museum used videos and other media in a smart way. They hoped that the museum would continue to grow and add more exhibits in the future.
