The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has given £38m to three national museums to facilitate the transformation of each site in time for the expected increase in visitors in the lead up to 2012 London Olympic Games.
The three museums are the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Museum of London and the National Museums of Scotland.
The V&A has been allocated £9.7m to transform its Medieval and Renaissance Galleries while the Museum of London will receive £10.6m plus £1m development funding, allowing it to revamp its lower ground floor galleries.
The National Museums of Scotland will be given £15.8m plus a £1m development grant in order to update the Royal Museum in Edinburgh.
Tessa Jowell, secretary of state for culture, media and sport, said: “This injection of Heritage Lottery funding will transform these museums and enrich the cultural experience for residents and visitors to London and Edinburgh. This is precisely the kind of cultural legacy that we hope for from the London Olympic and Paralympic Games.”
Chair of the HLF, Liz Forgan, added: “London is a true world city and its rich heritage will play an important role in the cultural programme that will support the Games. This investment in our popular museums will help guarantee that visitors will be offered the finest museum experiences as part of their Olympic visits.” Details: www.hlf.org.uk
