A Trust which was forced to close its museum in 2022 following funding cuts has announced it will retain a presence at its former Mill home.
The Belper North Mill Trust has announced it will offer guided tours at the North Mill in Belper, Derbyshire from April 2023.
Public access to the North Mill museum has now ended, as has the Trust’s ability to display its collection on site. A grant from Belper Town Council will end from April 2023.
The Trust says it has now reached an agreement with the building’s landlord to allow it to continue operating visitor services in 2023 and beyond.
It has also secured a new lease at a building adjacent to the previous museum, which will provide the Trust with a space that volunteers and trustees can use to plan their activities.
The Trust is also working with the Arkwright Society, a charity focussed on the conservation of industrial Derbyshire monuments, to display former museum collection items at the nearby Cromford Mills.
On its future, the Trust said: “Our long term preference is to have a financially viable quality heritage offer at the Belper Mills site, integral with the overall redevelopment of the site.
“The recent Derbyshire County Council report “Options for a Visitor Centre at Belper” identified various options for how such a centre could operate. The Trust is in support of development at the Belper Mills site as identified in that report.”
