A New Vision for Berwick Barracks

The Living Barracks: FAQs

Take a look at our responses to some frequently asked questions concerning:

  • The Partnership
  • The Project
  • Future Housing
  • Consultation with the Public

Overview

The Berwick Barracks Partnership is a group of organisations with a shared vision for undertaking vital conservation works at Berwick Barracks and developing the site into a vibrant cultural hub. 

The Partnership vision includes

  1. Developing the Barracks into a thriving cultural hub for the town, bringing empty buildings and spaces back into use in a way which supports tourism and the local economy.
  2. The existing exhibition, gallery and cultural space will be updated and improved.
  3. Northumberland County Council will work to relocate the Berwick Archives to the site - including new research rooms – and studio spaces would be developed for local artists.
  4. Improvements will also be made to the Parade Ground to allow it to continue to play an active role in the life of the town, both through existing events and also through an enhanced public programme.
  5. A café or restaurant will be developed within the Officers Mess and a shop within the Gatehouse,
  6. West Block and Clock Block will be returned to residential use.

The Partnership

Who are the Berwick Barracks Partnership?

The Berwick Barracks Partnership is made up of:

  • The King’s Own Scottish Borderers - museum (KOSB)
  • Northumberland County Council (NCC)
  • The Berwick Barracks Heritage Trust (BBHT)
  • The Maltings (Berwick) Trust (MBT)
  • English Heritage (EH)

How will the site be managed in future?

One organisation will be responsible for the day to day management of Berwick Barracks. The Partners will be deciding in the next phase of their work which organisation that should be.

I’ve seen jobs advertised for the Living Barracks project – what are these and who is paying for them?

The partnership is funding seven roles across 2023 to support development of the new museum as part of the wider project. These are:

  • Conservator and Documentation roles within KOSB to support the closure of the current galleries, packing all collections and transfer to a temporary store;
  • Research roles within the KOSB and Berwick Records Office to help develop our stories for the museum, education packages and community engagement;
  • An interpretation role within English Heritage to lead on developing the content for the new museum;
  • A Community Engagement Manager hosted by the Maltings ensuring the local community has the opportunity to work with the project;
  • Two roles backfilling existing partner capacity, freeing up our expertise to contribute directly to the project.  These will be a property curator role within English Heritage; an archivist role within the Record Office.

The Project

What’s happening?

The Partners at the Barracks will work together to raise the money required to restore the East Barracks and to create the new museum, exhibition space, artists’ resources and offices there. English Heritage will take the lead in identifying a suitable residential development partner.

What is the project timeline?

Redevelopment of the site will proceed in phases, as detailed plans are finalised, and funding becomes available. The first phase of redevelopment, affecting the Gymnasium Gallery and the Mob store, is expected to take place over the next two years, with further phases to follow.

The project is planned in 5 phases with phase 1, 2 and 3 (the cultural offer) being delivered from 2024 and phase 4 (the commercial offer) and phase 5 (the residential offer) from 2027.

Project updates are regularly shared here.

Where is the money going to come from?

Delivery of all parts of the vision will require funding from a range of both public and private sources.

Phase 1 of the project (The cultural elements) is estimated to cost in the region of £12 million.  The partnership board successfully bid to the Cultural Development Fund (CDF) and a grant of £4.2m was announced in March in 2022. The award has been made to English Heritage on behalf of the Berwick Barracks Partnership.

  • NCC: will fund The Maltings move into the Mob Store, the creation of the temporary cinema and the refurbishment of the Gymnasium Gallery.
  • NLHF Development Grant: application successful: £476K awarded. This will fund interpretation planning and design, collection cataloguing and a small public engagement programme that will be led by The Maltings to align with CDF.
  • NLHF Delivery Grant: This will fund the fit out of the new museum and gallery spaces, site-wide interpretation, and a smaller activity plan again to be delivered by The Maltings.

Future Housing

What sort of housing do you plan on the site?

English Heritage will be looking for a partner with which to develop this aspect of our proposals. It will inevitably be some time before we can reach clarity on who or what that will be.  This phase of the project is due to be delivered in 2027.

How will access and car parking [particularly residential] work?

Our outline plans for the residential part of the redevelopment include provision for on-site parking for those who will be living there.

The Museum

Is there enough space allocated to the museum to display everything?

The planned refurbished heritage display area is almost double the size of the existing KOSB Regimental Museum. While planning continues and will be enhanced following the recruitment of individuals with expertise in designing and displaying artefacts, it is highly unlikely that the entire KOSB Collection will be displayed simultaneously. In principle, the vision and main focus of the refurbished museum will continue to be the KOSB Regimental Museum. However, the Collection will be enhanced by including galleries and displays designed to demonstrate the links between the Town, the Barracks and the Regiment

Will the museum space be accessible?

Yes, the museum will be much more accessible than before the project. Improving access to the collections will be an objective of the project and will include the installation of a lift providing access to the 1st floor of the museum.

Will there be a learning centre?

We’re hoping to have an education space in the east range.

The Consultation

Has anyone presented these plans to the public and if so, how?

We have had community open days one on 14 August 2021 and another on 15 October 2022. The most recent consultation included a site walk and presentation for local residents and other interested parties at the Barracks with 3 different time slots on the 15th October 2022. There have also been numerous reports of these plans in the local papers. More consultations are planned for 2024.

How can I make my views known/have a say on the proposals?

Feedback on the Vision Statement can be emailed to TheLivingBarracks@english-heritage.org.uk 

The redevelopment will inevitably mean a lot of disruption for residents. What are you going to do to minimise that?

Whilst we realise that there will be a level of disruption to residents, we will endeavour to ensure that this is kept to a minimum.  Our plans will be developed taking into consideration the responses we receive from residents as part of the consultation process on which we have now embarked.