Construction is proceeding well as buildings have come down and others are going up. Behind the scenes, we are undertaking detailed research for the new displays and we have just launched an important crowdfunding appeal to complete the restoration of our historic boiler.
We still need your help with fundraising!
We still need to raise more money! You can donate online through Charity Choice or through JustGiving. To donate by text, text 'CMOT01 £3' / 'CMOT01 £5' / 'CMOT01 £10' to 70070. Or why not Adopt an Object - for yourself or as a unique gift.
If your company is interested in sponsoring a display, an interactive exhibit, or a building, get in touch to find out more about our corporate sponsorship packages.
About the project
What has happened recently
The Museum has launched a crowdfunding campaign to complete the restoration of our historic boiler! Can you help? Since the repair work began, we have discovered additional problems and we now need a further £14,508 to replace the caps on the boiler tubes and install a new fire grate. We are looking to you for help, so that we can run our steam engines again and bring the pumping station back to life. We are offering unique and exciting rewards for supporting our campaign - go to www.crowdfunder.co.uk/restore-our-boiler to make a pledge and receive yours!
Buildings have come down and others are going up! The former shop, which was a 1950s addition to the Pumping Station, has been demolished, making the original Victorian facade visible. The Portakabin that was previously the staff office has also been torn down. At the other end of the site, Millcam have installed the roof on the frame of the new exhibitions, learning, and community space. They have also capped off the shaft that originally went to the sewers, undertaken groundworks across the site, and installed new services.
Thank you to everyone who gave us their opinion on text and labels in our survey. We received over 150 responses and plenty of comments, which has given us an idea of how you would like displays to be presented at the Museum. However, there were lots of strong, differing opinions, so we still have lots to consider!
The detailed research for the new permanent exhibitions is well underway. The Pye History Trust have travelled as far as Bradford for their research, the Cambridge Instrument Company Research Team have gone through hundreds of documents at the University Library archive, and we have researchers all over Cambridge covering other local companies and industries.
The Engineer's House is undergoing repairs! The big house next to the Museum is where the Pumping Station's Engineer lived. Unfortunately, it was vandalised before the Museum took possession of it and it is in disrepair. Its restoration is not part of our redevelopment project, but we hope to make the house part of the Museum in the future. In the mean time, we are working with LockHouse to repair and redecorate the house so that it can be the site of an exciting new escape game based on the Museum's collections and a space for Museum use.
Meanwhile... Our new Floating Museum river tour of industrial history along the Cam has been a success (there are a few tickets left for next week's tour), the Museum was happy to support Strawberry Fair and fundraise for the redevelopment as official collectors last weekend, and we have been popular in the media recently. Highlights include a BBC article about our search for TJ Benton, a Pye apprentice who made a toolbox in our collection, (read it online) and Pam, our Curator, talking to Dotty McLeod on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire (listen to it on iPlayer at 51:58).
