Council committed to new Fashion Museum despite Levelling Up Fund disappointment

Plans for a new Fashion Museum in Bath will continue despite the announcement that Bath & North East Somerset Council has been unsuccessful in securing £20 million towards the project from the UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund.

The council will now look at different ways of funding the £37 million project to reopen the Fashion Museum in the Old Post Office in the centre of Bath, following departure from its home of more than 60 years in Bath’s Assembly Rooms. The aim is for the new museum to open in 2027/28.  

Kevin Guy, Leader of Bath & North East Somerset Council, said: “Whilst this is disappointing news from the government, the process of working up the Levelling Up Fund bid has demonstrated the benefits of this project to our local economy and to our communities. We are convinced that it will deliver a hugely positive impact on the local visitor economy and increase cultural participation and skills-based opportunities amongst some of our most deprived communities."

“In our Roman Baths, we have one of the most successful heritage attractions in the world. I’m wholly confident that we will be able to use our expertise to deliver the new Fashion Museum, which will be one of the most significant pieces of cultural infrastructure in the country over the next few years.”

Council officers are now exploring alternative ways of funding the Re-Fashioning Bath project.

"The relocation of the Fashion Museum to the Old Post Office forms part of the council’s Milsom Quarter Masterplan, an ambitious 20-year vision to transform this area of Bath into a fashion destination for the South West, attracting creative industries to the area, boosting the visitor economy and providing 180 new homes.”

As part of the project, the Fashion Museum is partnering with Bath Spa University to create a Fashion Collection Archive in Locksbrook, to the west of the city centre. This will provide a home for the Fashion Museum’s extensive collection and will be accessible to the public through special events and study sessions. The intention is for the Fashion Collection Archive to open in the next three to five years.

For more information about the Fashion Museum’s relocation, visit www.fashionmuseum.co.uk/our-future. For more about the Milsom Quarter Masterplan, visit beta.bathnes.gov.uk/milsom-quarter.