Corporate PX10599 Clifton Park Museum; 1891-present Clifton Park Museum 1891-present Rotherham Museum

Clifton House, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, United Kingdom

Clifton House, built in 1783, is a Grade 2* listed building designed by John Carr of York. It was once the seat of the Walker family, who were early industrialists involved in the manufacture of iron and steel. The house and park were purchased by the Municipal Borough of Rotherham in 1891 and the museum was first opened to the public later that year with the majority of its exhibits loaned by local people. It was administered by the Borough Librarian with a succession of honorary curators until the 1970s. In 1974 the soot blackened stonework was cleaned and the museum building was extended when a roof was placed over the original open courtyard. A Museum education loans service was set up for use by schools in the Borough, and professional staff were employed to catalogue and display the collections. Clifton Park Museum was one of the earliest museums to achieve full registration by the Museums Council in 1989. [edit] RefurbishmentIn 2003 the museum closed for a major refurbishment of the building and displays, partly funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. During this time it was twice shortlisted for the Gulbenkian Prize for Museum of the Year in 2003 and 2004, for its innovative outreach programmes, despite the building being closed to the public.[2] The refurbishment cost £3 million in total and included major repairs to the roof, heating systems, stonework, windows and electrical systems. In addition to new displays, improved public facilities included a study room, a cafeteria and a gift shop. A lift was also installed to make the building fully accessible to disabled visitors. The interior was redecorated using the exact colour scheme as used when the building was a Georgian country house in the 18th century. Clifton Park Museum re-opened to the public on 29 January 2005 International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families - ISAAR(CPF) 2nd edition - ICA 2004 ISBN 2-9521932-2-3 National Council on Archives, Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997 Yes Cja833 06/11/2012 Cja833 06/11/2012 fb924d0d-5db2-45e3-8297-fe5b0aca6ce1