The trustees of an historic military collection have welcomed moves that could see exhibits and artefacts displayed at a new cultural and visitor destination in Durham.
Durham County Council’s Cabinet today gave approval for further development work to be carried out into proposals to bring the former Durham Light Infantry (DLI) Museum back into use as a gallery and exhibition space with a café.
The plans would include significant dedicated space for the display of items from the DLI Collection and Archive, as well as the creation of a peace and contemplation garden in the grounds of the building and space for the display of visual art and items from the council’s other collections.
The proposed new facility would be in addition to the new History Centre, meaning there would be two new sites in the county for the display of DLI items, increasing access for the public to view the collection and ensuring the county’s military history can be told.
The collection is owned by the DLI Trustees and managed and cared for under a partnership arrangement with Durham County Council.
Colonel Ted Shields MBE, Chair of the DLI Trustees, said: “The DLI Trustees, some of whom served in the DLI, are delighted with this outcome and thank the council for all their hard work.
“If these proposals go forward, the DLI Collection will continue to be curated to the highest professional standards and will be that much more accessible, not just to the people of the County and the North East, but around the world too through the various digital programmes.
“As the Colonel of the Regiment said back in 1960, ‘It is the people of County Durham who have made the story of The Durham Light Infantry.’ How right he was and how appropriate it would be for the DLI Collection to be part of the exciting new Durham History Centre as well as an additional facility within the former museum building.”
The agreement to carry out further development work follows a review, requested by Cabinet in June 2021, into whether the former DLI museum could be brought back into use to house the DLI collection in its entirety as well as possible options for repurposing the building.
The review, which took place during the summer, found that returning and storing the entire DLI collection at the former museum would have a significant impact on plans for the History Centre and could risk grant funding that has already been approved.
In considering a potential use for the building, the review did find that there was clear scope to bring it back into use as a more flexible exhibition and gallery space.
As well as providing dedicated exhibition and display areas for objects from the DLI collection, such a facility could also offer storage capacity for other smaller collections alongside an art gallery facility and a café.
The provision of a new culture and visitor would also fill an identified gap in the city’s visitor economy and contribute to plans to place culture at the heart of the county’s activities over the next coming years, as evidenced in the bid for City of Culture status in 2025.
Cllr Elizabeth Scott, Cabinet member for economy and partnerships, said: “We know and appreciate how much the DLI Collection and Archive means to so many people in County Durham, so we are pleased to be able to proceed with further work to look at options for how it should be displayed in the future.
“The prospect of reimagining the former DLI museum as a wider cultural and visitor destination means that we would be able to increase our cultural offering in the city, broadening access not only to the DLI collection but to other collections, activities and events as well.
“However, it is vital that our plans have the support of the DLI Trustees, so I am pleased that that are supportive.”
It is anticipated that the findings of the further development work will be presented to councillors in early 2022.
