The Summerlee Redevelopment Appeal closed at the end of October, with over a half-million pounds in its kitty. Launched in October 2007, the appeal approached charitable trusts, industry and commerce, entrepreneurs and private individuals.
In addition to cash sums donated, many businesses donated 'in kind' assistance, through work on conservation for museum objects or professional advice.
The appeal funds have boosted the £10m cost of the overall project, allowing enhancements to the museum's exhibits, including the on-going restoration of the Compton cinema organ; the provision of a children's 'Discovery Zone'; and the fitting-out of the museum's education room. Other major works supported by the appeal include the purchase of a classic 1968 Singer Chamois motor car, made with steel from the Ravenscraig works in Motherwell, which was then rolled into strip at Gartcosh and pressed and assembled at the Rootes factory in Linwood, Renfrewshire.
Summerlee reopened for the September weekend and has been a massive hit with both locals and visitors from further afield, with the new exhibition hall proving a great all-weather attraction over the autumn holidays.
On entering the hall the first thing visitors will see is the sheer scale of the new displays. Working machinery have always been an attraction at Summerlee - nicknamed 'Scotland's noisiest museum' - and now there is an enlarged display including the huge winding wheel from the former Cardowan Colliery at Stepps, one of the last railway engines to made in Airdrie and an array of working machinery.
Aside from the industrial displays, there are also sections on the social and political lives of the workers and their families, from the early 19th century to the present day. Much attention has been paid to making the museum interactive and stimulating for all ages, with interactive screens, film and 'hands on' activities.
As Lanarkshire was at the heart of Scotland's 19th century industrial revolution, the story of iron and steel forms a major part of the new displays. A huge virtual reality blast furnace will allow visitors to try their hand at making iron, then pouring it out into 'pig beds' on the floor - though this effect is achieved through digital lighting effects, not molten metal!
Carol Ettershank, Summerlee museum manager, explained: "We are delighted that, after a two-year layoff, we can at last reopen the doors to Summerlee and allow visitors to see for themselves the extensive refurbishment work and the new 21st century interactive displays.
"Summerlee was in need of an extensive refurbishment to bring it in line with more modern attractions. We have done this - and more - and I would urge people to come along and see it for themselves. I believe that what we have here is a museum that Scotland can be proud of, allowing us to keep an important part of our industrial heritage to the forefront of our tourism industry".
Core funding for the redevelopment work came from the Heritage Lottery Fund, with a £4.8 million award, the largest in Scotland at the time. Further funding came from the Scottish Government, the Scottish Museums Council and North Lanarkshire Council.
Admission is free and the museum is open seven days a week, from 10am to 4pm until the end of March, then 10am to 5pm April to end of October.
