- 4 months ago
After being closed for four years for a £19m restoration, the Harris Museum in Preston reopens this weekend. We spoke to those involved in the biggest overhaul in the venue's 132-year history - as well as Wallace and Gromit creator Nick Park, whose characters are at the centre of a new exhibition there.
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00:00Neil, where do you start when you're presented with the challenge of giving a 130-year-old
00:27Grade 1 listed building, probably the biggest revamp in its history?
00:31Well, the starting point for us was the work that we did here for the last Preston Guild,
00:37the work in the Discover Preston Gallery, which we then used as a template for all the work we did to the rest of the building.
00:44So everything from the way that we heat the building, vent the building, the way that it's decorated,
00:51how we finish the floors, it was always do what we did in the Discover Preston Gallery.
00:59So, yeah, we used it as a life-size template.
01:01So you already had something to work off, so not quite from scratch?
01:04Not quite from scratch, but there was an awful lot of things that we found as we uncovered the building, really,
01:12and went back to the original bare bones.
01:15We always say that this building is such a strong architectural presence.
01:19It's got a great set of bones to work with, but it was really important that we stripped it back
01:26and took the spaces back to their former grandeur with very modern fittings,
01:33but those still take cognizance from the space around it.
01:37So they're not so high that they impose in the space,
01:42and you still get the feeling of the grandeur of the space that they sit in.
01:46What was the biggest challenge? I imagine there were several.
01:49There were several.
01:51The biggest challenge was the logistics of getting all the way up to the roof to replace the central lantern.
01:58There's almost a million pounds worth of scaffolding to get to every space within the building.
02:06So that was quite challenging.
02:09Also, fitting the new staircase into the rear of the building,
02:14it was measured many, many times to make sure it fitted first time when it finally came.
02:20So there was no limit to the vision, it was really the practicality that...
02:24It often is the way, and it was so important that we took this historic building
02:29and kept it as the museum, art gallery and library that it was originally envisaged to be.
02:36But reimagining that in a new space which puts all of those things together.
02:42So in this children's gallery, we're able to see exhibition cases with artefacts in them,
02:50first edition books, sculpture, paintings, all within the space.
02:55But it's still about the love of books.
02:58And as you look around today, just 48 hours until opening, has it turned out, as you imagine?
03:03It has, and it's so, so good to come back to see the final touches,
03:08because my work finished some time ago,
03:11and you've then got to entrust others to pass the baton on
03:15and for them to deliver their vision for the spaces.
03:22And then finally, getting all of the books, the costumes, the exhibitions, everything in place,
03:29really makes it feel alive, so much better than the empty shell that I left a few months ago.
03:36So you left them a building and they've created a museum?
03:39Tim, absolutely.
03:46Tim, you've set a target, having you, to increase the number of visitors.
03:50When a place like the Harris has been closed for as long as it has been,
03:53does it drop out of the public consciousness a bit?
03:55Have you got a lot of work to build up its reputation again?
03:59No, I don't think so.
04:00I think there's a real love and passion for the Harris.
04:04Yes, we've done a lot of engagement work throughout Closure.
04:07We've kept the library provision going in the Guild Hall.
04:10So we've really kept that engagement with our communities and our visitors going.
04:17And I think we've seen from the tickets that have been available for opening Sunday,
04:23they went within a couple of hours.
04:25So there's a real testament, I think, to the love and the passion that people have for the Harris.
04:29And we mustn't forget that the Harris really is regionally significant as a venue and museum gallery,
04:36but also it's got a national reputation.
04:39So I think we will really absolutely achieve that visitor target for,
04:43not only for Lancashire and Preston residents, but also for visitors from far and wide as well.
04:48So what's been the guiding principle behind the revamp?
04:52What's the one thing you can point to that sort of informed the whole project?
04:57Well, the whole project is really based on some extensive consultation that we did at the start of the project.
05:03And then we've been looping back to that throughout the project.
05:07So this is really about responding to what our visitors and communities were telling us that they wanted and expected.
05:13We also were reaching out to those communities and visitors that weren't using us to find out why and what we could do to do that.
05:20So I'm really proud and pleased that we've been able to shape the project based on the feedback that we've got.
05:27And I think that's really the founding principles of improving accessibility, of opening up the building,
05:34ensuring that we've got flexibility within our spaces, but also in our displays,
05:38being able to put young people at the fore and centre of what we're doing
05:43and being able to really diversify the collections and the stories that we tell
05:47so that we can really represent the communities of Preston and of Lancashire
05:52and those rich stories really coming through these opening displays.
05:56But of course, these displays here are just the opening ones.
05:59These will last for 12, 18 months and then we'll be changing to new stories, new narratives.
06:04So if people can't quite see stories that they were expecting on opening,
06:10there's more to come and we built that flexibility in so we can change
06:14and we can switch things up over the coming months and years.
06:19And looking around today, just 48 hours before opening, has it turned out how you imagined?
06:23It's, well, better than I could ever imagine.
06:27We were talking to colleagues earlier.
06:29We designed this project in COVID.
06:31We were on Zoom calls all day with the designers the whole team was on.
06:36We have children climbing all, or my children climbing all over me when we're trying to do it.
06:41So thinking back to those times when we were designing,
06:44trying to sort of imagine the spaces and think what it would be like to where we are now,
06:50it's quite remarkable.
06:51And just in a sentence or two, if you could make a pitch to people as to why they should come
06:54and see the Harris, whether they've been before or not, what would it be?
06:57Well, it's the jewel in Preston's crown.
07:02It means so much to so many people.
07:04Everyone has a memory of the Harris, be that coming in as a child
07:08or coming in with their family, coming in with a school group.
07:12So absolutely, we're making history opening on Sunday.
07:16We're 132 years old.
07:18It's never been closed for this long.
07:20It's never had this level of refurbishment from the roof through to the basement.
07:25So there will be, all of the favourites are here.
07:28We've not changed the essence of the building, the stone columns, the marble floors,
07:33Pauline in the yellow dress is still here.
07:34But we've also switched things up.
07:37We've improved spaces.
07:39We've made it lighter.
07:40We've made it brighter.
07:41We've made it easier to navigate.
07:42So it's a must-see for people to come in.
07:46It's ticketed on Sunday.
07:47Those tickets have gone.
07:48But from Monday, it's not ticketed.
07:51And we're open seven days a week.
07:53We're late-night opening on Thursday.
07:54So plenty of opportunities to come in and visit and experience the Harris.
08:02Councillor Brown, Councillor Hindle,
08:04how important is it to Preston to have the Harris back open?
08:08Well, I think it's really important to us.
08:11It's part of a wider city centre regeneration strategy.
08:14It's something that we've been doing for now three and a half, four years.
08:18So it began just after COVID.
08:20But we just think it's going to be amazing.
08:22New facilities.
08:23It's going to be a lot more human, participatory, some fantastic new exhibitions and spaces,
08:29support for disabled residents and other things.
08:32And crucially, lots of new jobs created through the process.
08:34What kind of a statement do you think it makes about Preston?
08:38I think it basically means that we want to show that we're actually doing things
08:42that are going to benefit our community and actually get involved in our local economy
08:47and creative sector and cultural sector and really actually make things happen.
08:52I think it just shows a council that's making things happen in the city.
08:55I feel that it shows the importance that Preston City Council place on culture
09:00and encouraging everybody to enjoy it.
09:06On the subject of investment, obviously there was lottery money in this,
09:09but there was also significant council investment from the City Council,
09:12Lancashire County Council.
09:14I guess this is the day that you see whether it's been worth it or not.
09:17Well, it has been worth it.
09:18So we want to make things happen, we want to get involved and make things better for our community.
09:24It's had so much done to it, not only the building, but also changing the flow of the building.
09:33We've increased the cafe and we've made it more blended.
09:37So that means that you won't just have art in the art gallery,
09:40you won't just have the museum in the museum.
09:42It's all mixed up, so you'll find library books throughout the museum.
09:46And it's to make it more friendly.
09:50Something that's quite important is we've used a lot of voices from the public
09:56to actually reimagine the Harris.
10:00So there are certain displays which are from local communities.
10:05And there's also, in part of the art gallery, it's called a wellness.
10:09And they've chosen wellbeing images.
10:12And honestly, when you look around it, I've picked that up without even knowing.
10:16This will actually make people happy, you know, to come into the city centre.
10:19People have an experience, feel good about things, see this creative hub that we have here.
10:25And just part of a wider strategy to improve things for our community.
10:28Obviously, you're trying to attract people into the city centre,
10:30not just locals, but also people from further afield.
10:34Do you feel that when they arrive, the rest of the city centre is befitting of the Harris that they've got now?
10:39Or is there still more work to do?
10:41Well, there's always more to do.
10:42But, you know, the council's spending £120 million regenerating the city centre.
10:48So the Harris, the cinema, as you see, Youth Zone opening in a few months,
10:52the amount of this house development.
10:54There's going to be lots of new social housing nearby.
10:56So, you know, it's a very different kind of regeneration to what you might have expected a decade ago.
11:02It's really trying to benefit everyone within our community and make people better off as well
11:07because we do try and use local companies as much as we can.
11:10And obviously, we've got 28 new members of staff here who will receive the real living wage of £12.60 at least,
11:17which will benefit many young people who work here.
11:20The Harris, as a museum, it's a magnificent educational institute
11:28because it talks to the younger generations.
11:31Every cabinet is a small story by itself.
11:34So it's not like those thematic museums in which you get lost into consecutive linear parts of history.
11:42Actually, every station is a story of art or design or ancient,
11:46whether Egyptian, prehistoric, ancient Preston, ancient Liverpool, ancient, you know,
11:52like all this geographical part of the world.
11:56So, Khalid, the connection between Preston and Egypt, it's not an obvious one.
12:01What is it exactly?
12:03It's the cotton.
12:04The cotton, basically also Egypt was part of World War I and II.
12:10So, since the commission is from the Imperial War Museum for the permanent collection of the Harris,
12:16so I had to weave something between the relationship between Preston,
12:21the greater Manchester area, Leeds, the areas where there were mills working with Egyptian cotton,
12:27which is common histories.
12:29I was looking for common histories between Egypt and the United Kingdom and that part of the United Kingdom,
12:34as well as how could we incorporate the war, cotton, the British times in Egypt, personal histories.
12:41So, you will find in this commission, it's divided into several, if you want, stations or elements.
12:48The personal history is through the silk screen and through my parents,
12:52who are both in the medical corps of the Egyptian army.
12:55So, you'll see all the military iconography on the walls, the site-specific war.
13:02And we have the Egyptian cotton through a film, a five-minute film made through AI explaining the British times and the Egyptian cotton.
13:13It's on the ground floor.
13:15At the same time, we have the work in the background now,
13:19which is made by the Oriental Weavers with our designs, our common designs.
13:24It's Egyptian cotton with the same military iconography that explains this historical period of time.
13:30Nick, this must be a pinch-yourself moment, is it?
13:35Sitting in a recreation of the living room of your first film and reopening the museum in your hometown, now City.
13:43I know, I just do have to pinch myself.
13:46I mean, yes, I mean, sitting here in Wallace's living room, it's life-size.
13:51It's like I've eaten too much cheese and having some weird dreams.
13:57But, no, it's very, very good.
13:59I mean, to actually be here, as you say, in my hometown,
14:05not only has Preston City Centre now got two statues of my characters,
14:12and now to come to the Harris Museum, which has always been a focal point of the city of Preston.
14:20For me, growing up as well, to be opening an exhibition of my own work, Aardman's work,
14:28is such an honour and a thrill.
14:32I mean, I would never have believed it.
14:34I was such a shy, kind of quiet kid, really.
14:38I just love drawing cartoons.
14:40And to think that now there's an exhibition in the centre of Preston,
14:46in the north, in this amazing museum now that's been revamped,
14:52it's wonderful.
14:54It's such an honour.
14:55What can people expect from the exhibition?
14:57We can see some of it here.
15:00Yeah, well, it's amazing.
15:01You walk in and it's got...
15:03Well, it gives you the whole story of how I started in animation.
15:09A lot of...
15:10Some of my early films are being shown.
15:13There are sketchbooks doodles, you know, drawing storyboards,
15:18but also there are props from the very first Wallace and Gromit film,
15:22original ones.
15:23There's the rocket from A Grand Day Out, the big orange rocket,
15:27going through all the Wallace and Gromit films,
15:30from The Wrong Trousers, close shave, a matter of...
15:33You know, there's major props and sets.
15:36And right to the latest, you know, Vengeance Most Foul
15:40was one of the canal barges from Vengeance Most Foul,
15:44you know, the original prop from the film.
15:49What did the Harris mean to you when you were growing up in Preston?
15:51Well, yeah, the Harris was always a centre, really, of...
15:56It was a landmark in Preston.
15:58And in some way, I would often go just to walk around for inspiration.
16:04And as a kid, I just loved seeing all the historic artefacts from the area.
16:09You know, I remember the ancient skulls, human skulls,
16:13and the giant elk and the dugout canoes.
16:16I always found it inspiring, you know, to find out about the history.
16:20Plus the library, it was like...
16:22It was before the internet, so I would go and get books out
16:26on anything I could find, on animation or filmmaking,
16:30and I would read them from cover to cover.
16:33And just harking back to the Preston of yesteryear as well,
16:37how different is Preston today?
16:38And in some ways, how similar is it to when you were growing up?
16:41Yeah, I mean, it is, obviously, it's moved forward in many ways.
16:46You know, a lot of the shops are different,
16:48and the layout's pretty much the same.
16:52I mean, since...
16:53I went away in the late 70s to go to college in Sheffield,
16:59and then London, and then to Bristol.
17:02But, you know, both my wife and I have got lots of family here,
17:06so we spend a lot of time here still,
17:07and we always have.
17:12But it's, in many ways, it's the people, isn't it, are the same.
17:17You know, there's a friendliness.
17:20You know, there's a familiarity all the time,
17:23and there's a humour as well.
17:25A lot of the humour, I think, in Wallace and Gromit comes from there.
17:30I can't always define it.
17:32It's like understated or something,
17:34or there's often a subtlety and a...
17:36A Lancastrian, let's do it.
17:39Yeah, yeah.
17:42What is next for Wallace and Gromit, if I can ask?
17:46It's a good question, that,
17:47because, you know, I like them to keep going.
17:51They're kind of evergreen now,
17:53and it's great to have characters that respond to each other all the time.
17:57You could put them in any situation, they'd make it funny.
18:00So it's just getting those ideas that make it,
18:05because its animation takes so long.
18:07It's having those ideas that makes it really worthwhile and are special.
18:12Are some germinating?
18:14Yeah, I can't help it.
18:16I'm always thinking about them.
18:18And just finally, what would Wallace say if he could see this?
18:20Oh, I think it's absolutely cracking,
18:25every bit, and Gromit would probably just want a stiff cup of tea.
18:29Thanks.
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