Local construction company Seddon appointed for £5 million Potteries Museum & Art Gallery transformation

A leading construction company has been awarded a contract to take forward the multi-million-pound remodelling of the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery.

Stoke-on-Trent-based Seddon Construction Ltd has been awarded a pre-construction service agreement, under a two-stage design and build contract, to carry out works as part of a £5 million masterplan which will see major improvements to the award-winning city centre venue.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council secured money for the re-modelling works last year from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport and Arts Council England.

Since then, the council has been working with architects to develop plans to transform the popular attraction and, this summer, carried out a public engagement to get feedback on the proposals.

Now with the appointment of Seddon Construction, based in Campbell Road, the initial works are set to start ahead of the construction phase in 2025.

This marks the latest phase of a masterplan for the venue and builds on work to co-locate the new Spitfire Gallery and the City’s Archive to an integrated ‘collections hub’.

The revamp will ensure the museum is modernised and enhanced for people to enjoy for many years to come. 

Future building works which are expected to start next year, and be completed towards the end of 2026, will include:

• Improving the visitor experience with enhanced gallery spaces and orientation.
• Creating additional learning and teaching spaces to support education, health and wellbeing programmes.
• Providing Artist in Residence and workshop spaces.
• Designing a new open storage area for collections for public viewing.
• Re-landscaping the moat area at the front of the museum to create a new terraced area.
• Re-locating the main entrance to the side of the museum on Broad Street to provide an improved welcome.
• Re-locating the café to the Foyer area to create a vibrant atmosphere for visitors as they arrive and to connect the indoor spaces with the outside landscape.

Longer term plans include a bid for funding to reimagine and refurbish the galleries and developing the city as an international centre for ceramics. 

Councillor Jane Ashworth, leader of the council and cabinet member for strategy, economic development, culture and sport, said: “Appointing Seddon is a key step in bringing the exciting vision for the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery to life.

“The plan is to create a striking building and new spaces to showcase our city’s world class museum collections while enhancing the experience for visitors.

“We can’t wait for the development to take shape and for visitors to start enjoying the revamped venue, which is already a very popular with local residents as well as people from further afield. Using a local company fits well with our desire to keep the Stoke-on-Trent pound in the city and enable companies to give something back as part of their social responsibility commitments.”

Lee Shaw, commercial manager at Seddon Construction Ltd, said: “Seddon have been based in Stoke-on-Trent for over 90 years and have a long and proud history of undertaking construction projects in the area.

“We are excited to be associated with this prestigious project at one of Stoke-on-Trent’s iconic municipal buildings. The project will no doubt improve the customer experience for all those visiting the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery.”

Peter Knott, Midlands Area Director at Arts Council England, said: “It’s great to hear that the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery have appointed local company Seddon Construction to work on the £5 million transformation of the venue.

“As a regular visitor to PMAG and Stoke-on-Trent, I’m looking forward to seeing the redevelopment of the building, from improving the visitor experience to providing workshop spaces, it promises to be a significant cultural building in the heart of Hanley.” 

Photo caption: Lee Shaw, Commercial Manager - Seddon, left; Deputy Council Leader, and cabinet member for city pride, enforcement and sustainability, Councillor Amjid Wazir OBE; and Katy Harris, Pre-Construction Director - Seddon outside the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery.