Bruce Castle receives over half a million in funding towards restoration project

Efforts to restore Bruce Castle have been given a major boost thanks to a £588,900 grant from the government’s Cultural Investment Fund.

The much-loved Tottenham landmark, a Grade I listed former 16th Century manor house and home to the London Borough of Haringey's Museum and Archive, is to undergo a comprehensive restoration project focussing on addressing and stabilising structural issues, making fire protection upgrades, repairing historic fabric, and improving accessibility.

This includes reconfiguring the castle’s east wing to transform an 18th century room into a new public space for exhibitions and community use, enhancing public access to the museum’s unique and fascinating collection. Some works are already underway, including on the castle’s historic tower.

The government funding, provided by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sports, and delivered by Arts Council England, brings the total invested in the restoration project to over £1.5 million, with the rest of the funds provided by Haringey Council.

Cllr Julie Davies, Cabinet Member for Employment, Skills and Corporate Services, said:

Bruce Castle is deeply woven into the historic fabric of Tottenham and a key part of our local and national heritage. This restoration project will play a vital role in safeguarding its future and improving access for the public.

We are extremely grateful to the Cultural Investment Fund and Arts Council England for enabling this work and recognising the value that this project will bring to our community in Haringey and to the museum’s many visitors from around the world.

The fact that we were able to secure such a significant amount of funding from an extremely competitive funding stream underlines the national significance of Bruce Castle and the collections it houses, and the importance of safeguarding them for future generations.

The Cultural Investment Fund will see £48 million distributed to 63 organisations. It is allocated through three streams: £24 million through the Cultural Development Fund, £18.8 million through the Museums Estate and Development Fund, and £5 million through the Libraries Improvement Fund. The announcement follows a concerted effort by the government to support the country’s vital cultural organisations.

The Museum Estate and Development Fund, which the Bruce Castle restoration project is benefitting from, helps fund museum and local authority infrastructure projects and urgent maintenance works beyond their day-to-day budgets.

Darren Henley, Chief Executive Officer, Arts Council England, said:

Our artists, arts organisations, museums and libraries are experts in making villages, towns and cities better places to live, work, visit or play. This investment means they’ll be able to help more people across England to lead happier, more creative lives.

Arts Minister Lord Parkinson, said:

Culture is the bedrock of society. It brings people together, entertains and informs us, and helps us to understand our common past and shared future.

Today we are announcing a raft of new funding for treasured cultural institutions up and down the country.

This will help them to continue their great work, advance our work to level up access to arts and culture so they can be enjoyed by people no matter where they live, and protect these cherished institutions for future generations to enjoy.