CRESWELL CRAGS SECURES MAJOR MUSEUM ESTATE AND DEVELOPMENT FUNDING FOR VITAL REPAIRS – PUBLIC SUPPORT STILL NEEDED TO COMPLETE PROJECT

Creswell Heritage Trust, the independent charity that manages Creswell Crags, is delighted to announce it has been awarded £184,705 from the Museum Estate and Development (MEND) Fund towards essential repairs and improvements across the museum building and wider Creswell Crags site. 

The Museum Estate and Development Fund is administered and delivered by Arts Council England on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and supports urgent maintenance work that helps protect the nation’s museum estates. 

This funding will play a crucial role in safeguarding access to the internationally significant heritage of Creswell Crags, renowned for its dramatic limestone landscape and unique Ice Age archaeology. The project will enable vital repairs to ageing infrastructure, improving safety, accessibility and the overall visitor experience. 

Key elements of the project include the replacement of the ageing steps leading up to the caves, which are used by hundreds of visitors, including thousands of school pupils, every year to access the caves and learn about the lives of people and animals during the Ice Age. Without intervention, continued access to these historic caves could not be guaranteed. 

The funding will also contribute towards the replacement of the wooden footbridge that connects the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire sides of the site. The bridge has required numerous repairs over the years, and this investment will allow the Trust to install a new and more accessible structure for visitors. 

While this grant represents a major milestone, Creswell Heritage Trust still needs to raise £14,200 in match funding to complete the full programme of work. Visitors may have noticed the Trust’s ‘Care for the Crags’ campaign, which highlights the importance of public support in helping to protect and maintain the site, ensuring continued access to these remarkable places where your Ice Age ancestors survived thousands of years ago. 

A dedicated fundraising page has been launched to support the project, and a number of local organisations have already pledged their support through donations and help in kind, including the Gordon Bramah Charitable Settlement, The BNA Charity, Planterior and Lhoist.  Members of the public wishing to support the project can donate via:  https://donate.justgiving.com/charity/creswell-crags/donation-amount 

Laura Bird, Head of Development at Creswell Crags, said: 

“It’s wonderful that we have the support of the Museum Estate and Development Fund, as it means we can make vital repairs to our ageing infrastructure across the site. Without this funding, we simply couldn’t guarantee how much longer access to the caves could be maintained. They are essential to our story and to the survival of our organisation. 

The fund also enables us to carry out a great deal of essential maintenance across the site, some of which won’t be immediately visible to visitors, but which will significantly improve the care of our collections and protect the exceptional significance of Creswell Crags for generations to come.”

ENDS 

IMAGE: Creswell Crags Ice Age Ancestor overlooking the gorge. Photo Credit Briony Canning Photography.

For further information please contact

Hannah Steggles, Head of Public Engagement hannah.steggles@creswell-crags.org.uk.

Laura Bird, Head of Development laura.bird@creswell-crags.org.uk 

Telephone: 01909 720378

About Creswell Crags

Creswell Crags is an important site for understanding the humans, animals, and past environments of the Ice Age. The site is home to more than 20 caves and rock shelters, which have yielded rich deposits of archaeological and palaeontological material now on display in the Museum.  

The earliest material is from the last interglacial, a warm period 125,000 years ago, during which hippopotamus, narrow-nosed rhinoceros and hyaenas roamed the landscape. Later, during the middle of the last glacial period (55,000 to 40,000 years ago), cold adapted animals were present, such as woolly mammoth, woolly rhinoceros and reindeer, alongside hyaenas. Two human species were also here then; Neanderthals inhabited the area first, leaving behind large numbers of their stone tools. Later, there were multiple visits by early modern humans, as evidenced through their stone and bone tools.

Early modern humans also made their marks on the cave walls themselves. Recognised in 2003, the rock art at Creswell Crags was the first evidence of Ice Age rock art in the whole of Britain. Dated to more than 12,600 years ago, the engravings include depictions of red deer and bison. Britain's oldest work of art, a fine engraving of a horse on animal rib bone, was found in Robin Hood Cave.  

More marks were discovered later, revealed in February 2019 to be the largest collection of apotropaic (or witch marks) in the UK dating from around the 17^th Century.

 About the Museum Estates and Development Fund

The Museum Estate and Development Fund (MEND) has allocated a share of £2.6 million to support four local museums across the East Midlands to undertake vital infrastructure works, and improve the visitor experience. In total the fund has supported 150 local museums over the past four years. 130 organisations across the country are receiving a share of funding today, marking the first projects receiving cash from the government’s Arts Everywhere Fund.

Culture Secretary, Lisa Nandy said: “I want everyone, everywhere to feel a sense of pride about where they come from. Cultural organisations across the East Midlands are important custodians of local identity and play a key role in the story we tell ourselves as a nation.

"Our Arts Everywhere Fund is delivering on our commitment to support cultural assets across the country, increasing access and preserving them for future generations. This is demonstrated by grants announced today that will benefit ten culture venues, museums, and library services across the East Midlands.

“Arts and culture are the beating hearts of our communities, they have the power to unite us in the face of division and break down barriers to opportunity. We want to harness the power to help us build a brighter future for the people of the East Midlands.”

Liz Johnson, Midlands Area Director at Arts Council England said: “We want everyone, in every part of the East Midlands to have access to excellent art and culture.

“Our arts organisations, museums and libraries are the beating heart of our communities, so we’re thrilled that £5 million is being invested in cultural buildings and equipment across the area.

“This vital investment will ensure our cherished venues are fit for purpose and continue be enjoyed by people for many years to come.”

About Arts Council England  

Arts Council England is the national development agency for creativity and culture. Between 2023 and 2026 we will have invested over £467 million of public money from Government, alongside an estimated £250 million each year from The National Lottery, to support individual practitioners, arts organisations, museums and libraries, and to help ensure that people in every part of the country have access to culture and creativity in the places where they live. Visit our website to learn more about our work.