Council poised to approve major museum extension

Council poised to approve major museum extension

24 October 2012

A NEW £600,000 extension to Down County Museum is likely to get the go ahead from Down Council.

The state-of-the-art complex will house an interpretative centre on Down’s early Christian heritage and will have as a centrepiece a 1,200 year-old granite high cross which is currently outside Down Cathedral.

The cross, which has deteriorated over the years due to the elements, will be replaced with a replica outside the cathedral while the original cross will be preserved within the new museum extension.

The centre will also house a long boat recovered from the River Quoile and related early Christian and medieval artefacts from excavations on the Hill of Down and the surrounding area. The extension will also include a new tea-room with views of the Mound of Down and Down Cathedral and a discovery room for children.

The project will be funded by the European programme INTERREG with a contribution of £103,000 from Down Council and is a joint partnership between Down Council and the Church of Ireland, which is keen to preserve the high cross for future generations.

Museum curator Dr. Mike King confirmed at a meeting of the council’s Culture and Economic Development Commitee that funding has just been made available for the scheme by INTERREG.

Council officials have in the past said they are confident the relocation of the cross, described as an iconic monument of Ireland’s early Christian heritage, will provide a focus for the interpretation of this period in Downpatrick’s past.

Down councillors are likely to give to go-ahead for the extension at their next meeting.