National Museums Liverpool venues to reopen

National Museums Liverpool (NML) has announced that its museums and galleries will reopen to the public on Wednesday 2 December.

The news comes following the government’s announcement that Liverpool will be in Tier 2 when the latest restrictions come to an end.

The Walker Art Gallery, World Museum, Museum of Liverpool, Maritime Museum, International Slavery Museum, Lady Lever Art Gallery, Sudley House and Seized! will be open from Wednesday – Sunday, 10am – 4pm (closed Mondays and Tuesdays).

Blackler’s Santa, which was on display at Blackler’s department store from 1957 to 1988, will welcome guests to the Museum of Liverpool, followed by, shortly after re-opening, Champion One, Champion All!, a new digital exhibition by Liverpool photographer Anthony Wilde will go on display. Part of the On Record – Untold & Retold Black music festival, the exhibition is a unique snapshot of Liverpool’s Black music scene, its key players and those under the radar and aims to challenge the homogenised view of Black music.

Visitors to World Museum can look forward to a brand-new entrance to the World Cultures gallery, with bold interventions, welcoming visitors back into the space from 11 December.

Laura Pye, director of National Museums Liverpool said: “We’d like to thank the people of Liverpool for supporting the mass testing pilot, which has helped to drive down the number of Covid cases in the city, enabling us to reopen our museums and galleries in the run up to Christmas. We must however, remain vigilant so this achievement doesn’t go to waste.

“We are asking visitors to follow our safety procedures such as booking in advance and wearing face coverings. We also encourage visitors to regularly get tested so we can keep the transmission rate down and continue to welcome people to our venues.

“With the festive season upon us, Blackler’s Santa has become a firm festive favourite at the Museum of Liverpool since joining our collection in 2013. It’s wonderful that he is back this year to delight visitors amid what has been a very uncertain time, bringing back memories back for many, whilst creating new ones for the younger generation.

“We’ll also be keeping the Black Lives Matter conversation going by celebrating key figures who have shaped the city’s Black music scene in Champion One, Champion All! and encouraging visitors to continue helping us shape the future of World Cultures gallery, enabling us to create displays and a space where issues of colonialism and injustice can be openly explored.”