WARRINGTON Museum and Warrington Library are set to close for six months and temporarily relocate to Golden Square Shopping Centre.

Urgent repairs required to the grade two-listed building’s roof will require the premises to shut for much of the remainder of 2021, if not the entirety.

As a result of the £360,000 ‘essential restoration’ – a six-month project which is due to start in June, subject to official confirmation of the chosen contractor during May’s Warrington Borough Council cabinet meeting – a temporary museum and library will open in the retail heart of the town centre.

This ‘pop up’ site will be located in the former USC store in the Mall, the unit neighbouring Waterstones.

Warrington Guardian:

Culture Warrington and Livewire – which operate Warrington Museum and Art Gallery and the town’s libraries – described the site as the ‘perfect location to connect town centre visitors with Warrington’s unique historical and cultural offer’.

Managing director Emma Hutchinson said: “The care of our iconic building is of utmost importance to us and the Warrington community, and preserving it for future use and generations is a top priority of ours.

“A temporary move would be a fantastic opportunity for us to bring our remarkable offer to the very heart of the Warrington community, and we look forward to welcoming in new and familiar faces alike.”

Warrington Library reopened last Wednesday, April 14, following the easing of lockdown restrictions, but will close again next month ahead of the move.

Warrington Guardian:

At present, Warrington Museum remains closed and will be allowed to reopen on May 17 at the earliest – in line with the Government’s Covid roadmap.

WBC’s director of growth Steve Park added: “We want to make sure that Warrington’s proud culture and heritage is a key driver of regeneration in our town.

“That’s why it’s vital that we invest in and protect our cultural assets for the future.

“Warrington Museum and Art Gallery is one of the oldest museums in the country, and investment in it will help ensure its long-term sustainability as a bustling hive of creativity, heritage, learning and culture.

“The refurbishment works – in particular the much-needed renovation of the roof – have been planned for some time.

“Unfortunately, the Covid-19 pandemic meant we were unable to proceed last year.

“As the town centre continues to reopen, it’s vital that we maintain our cultural momentum and ensure that people have easy access to our rich cultural heritage and history.

“That’s why Golden Square would be a high quality, temporary home for museum and library services.

“We believe it is ideally placed to tell the Warrington story and welcome the increased visitors to our town centre as it springs back to life.”