Ely Museum
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![A woman sits inside a wooden structure in a gallery. Its walls are made from timber dowels, and a woodcut illustration and TV screen are visible through the walls. A title outside reads “Wetland ways of life”]()
Dynamic new permanent galleries for Ely Museum, telling the story of local people and landscapes from prehistory to the present day.
Museum of Ely, completed 2021, permanent gallery. Architecture by HAT Projects. Photography by Philip Durrant. Grade II listed building.
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![A display of market produce in a gallery against a large image of a field. A young child holding a basket walks past a weighing machine and wooden vegetables in crates.]()
In March 2019 SLD were appointed to re-design the permanent galleries at Ely Museum. Originally built in the 14th Century as a private residence, the building was used as Ely's Old Gaol from 1679 and housed prisoners up until 1836. It has been home to Ely Museum since 1997.
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![A sand-coloured showcase in a gallery. It has a peephole in its base and archaeological artefacts on display. The gallery floor is decorated with agricultural motifs.]()
The design drew inspiration from the natural history of the fens. This led to 'islands' of exhibits and graphics as signposts in the gallery 'landscape', with soundscapes recorded by local ornithologists.
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![A family try on hats at a dressing up interactive station in a gallery surrounded by exhibition showcases. The floor is decorated with playful motifs of a mammoth.]()
We worked with the curators to develop broad approaches to stories with multiple entry points. The galleries offer a range of interactives, including dressing up corners with hand-crafted costumes related to the displays, and object handling opportunities throughout the galleries.
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![Two boys play with interactives in the base of a blue showcase. One looks through a peephole, one places his hands in an aperture. The case displays fossils next to illustrations of sea creatures.]()
Bespoke showcases incorporated peepholes which revealed miniature dioramas and scenes, and touch objects related to the displays. This, along with graphic treatment of the showcase exteriors and layered information within the cases transformed static exhibitions into an exploratory opportunity.
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![Adults and children sit on benches inside an open timber structure. There is a video display beneath a black and white artwork of traditional herbalist equipment, including bottles and a ram’s skull.]()
The Wise Women's Hut created a gathering and story-telling space for family and school groups. The semi-open frame was inspired by the vertical stems of marsh reeds and explored the medicinal practices of traditional herbalists, with commissioned artwork by David Rooney.
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![A small square window in a thick white wall. It has two metal bars on it. Next to it is a wooden text panel titled “Small window” that explains this was an original cell window in a prison.]()
We worked closely with the architects to develop a suite of materials and colours that resonated with their intervention and the surrounding natural landscapes. We also developed a trail around the Museum to make visible the architectural history of the Grade II Listed site.
