National Railway Museum
National Railway Museum
Our conservation team helped the National Railway Museum to develop its transformational Vision 2025 masterplan by preparing a Conservation Plan and costed maintenance and repair survey. Part of the Science Museum Group, the Museum contains the most important collection of railway vehicles and artefacts in the world – more than 6000 objects in all, including100 locomotives or rolling stock. The Museum won the European Museum of the Year in 2001 and by 2019 was attracting 782,00 visitors annually.
It occupies a collection of historic goods facilities and engine sheds near York station, but this split legacy – divided by a busy road – makes for a confusing and dislocated experience. Now the Museum is able to take advantage of the wider York Central regeneration scheme to unify the site and overhaul exhibitions and facilities. Our Conservation Plan and associated masterplanning advice, completed in 2018, showed that understanding and embracing the site’s heritage could unlock and realise its full potential within the wider York Central development.
In 2022 the resultant design by Feilden Fowles for a unifying new entrance building and drastically improved landscaping was granted permission, and construction will start shortly.
Client: Science Museum Group
Architect: Feilden Fowles