Ely Museum Celebrates First Birthday!

Join us on Saturday 21st May for a fun-filled family day out at Ely Museum, included with normal admission.

Ely Museum is delighted to be celebrating its first birthday on Saturday 21st May! Join us as we mark this event, exactly one year later, with the festivities and fun that we were not able to enjoy at the time of our official reopening in 2021.

This time last year, COVID-19 restrictions on indoor activities were lifted, and we were finally able to open the doors to the newly redisplayed and extended Ely Museum. For over a year and a half – substantially longer than initially planned – we’d been closed to the public, working away with our fantastic team of architects and designers, to entirely reimagine how we would tell the story of the history of Ely and East Cambridgeshire.

Our transformative £2.2m redevelopment was made possible due a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund as well as further grants from East Cambridgeshire District Council and a number of local charities, trusts and individuals.

It was wonderful to welcome visitors, but with limited numbers and time specified tickets, the big fun reopening we had planned had to be shelved. So now we want to invite everyone to come back to Ely Museum – or use this as a reason to come for the first time.

Emily Allen, Community Engagement Officer says; “We’re really pleased to be welcoming people to the museum to celebrate this milestone with us. After being closed for over 600 days during our redevelopment, restrictions at the time meant our reopening plans were paused. Now one year on, with reenactors, music, activities and lots of things to do and try, our first birthday promises to be an excellent day for all ages!”

Throughout the day on Saturday 21st May we will be celebrating our new museum. Alongside  traditional music and games in the Felons Yard, the museum will be filled with re-enactors dressed  in historic costume, objects to touch, costumes to try on, volunteers answering questions and lots more too.

It is also a great opportunity to see the fantastic new, RIBA award winning, spaces  created within the Old Gaol as part of the redevelopment. 

To look out for upcoming events, find out more about visiting the museum and join our mailing list,  please visit www.elymuseum.org.uk

Press release from Ely Museum