First look at £4.1m restoration of landmark Bristol gallery

The £4.1m restoration of Bristol’s historic RWA building is well under way.

Opening its doors to the public in May, the RWA’s renovation plans aim to revive the Grade-II listed building and preserve it for the future.

The transformational heritage project ‘Light and Inspiration in Bristol’, realised by construction company Beard, is the most significant refurbishment of the building in over a century.

RWA director Alison Bevan said: “This redevelopment of the RWA will absolutely transform our building and give us beautiful, world-class galleries that everyone can enjoy.

“The work has been 20 years in the making and is the biggest refurbishment seen in our 175-year-old history. Without it, we might have had to close our doors permanently.”

The site on Queens Road is currently a hive of activity with aims to complete the extensive renovations by May – photo: Robert Browne

The gallery is set to become “the most accessible gallery from London to St Ives”.

Plans to make the RWA a more inclusive space range from a new lift that can carry four wheelchair users and their carers, a quiet room for visitors with sensory requirements or autism and a family activity space.

It will also have a dedicated changing places facility so that people with profound and severe disabilities can “enjoy art on equal terms”.

Bevan added: “What really excites me is that all the things that we’re doing will give us the opportunity to uplift people, even if it’s only for half an hour.

“I am so proud to think it’s not just for the arty people of Bristol, it is genuinely for everyone, and it is going to make a fundamental difference to people in Bristol for generations to come.”

Regional director of Beard, Mike Hedges, and RWA director, Alison Bevan – photo: Robert Browne

As well as making the space more inclusive, the extensive restoration project has addressed urgent structural repairs.

One of the main tasks was to create new roof lanterns above the main gallery, as well as lowering the windows on the facade to create new doorways, adding air source heat pumps and installing new underfloor heating.

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Once the gallery is ready for visitors on May 2, the RWA will open with a landmark exhibition curated by Tessa Jackson OBE.

Featuring over 80 works, Me, Myself, I: Artists’ Self Portraits will trace the history of self portraiture from artists like Sir Joshua Reynolds and Lucian Freud to Grayson Perry, Antony Gormley and Tracey Emin.

Visitors can also look forward to a renovated cafe with 50 covers and outdoor seating spilling out onto a newly landscaped plaza. Who will run the cafe is yet to be confirmed.

Renovations have been funded by private donations and grants from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Arts Council England, among others.

https://twitter.com/RWABristol/status/1496100863793901581?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet

Now the RWA have launched a final fundraising appeal in the hope of raising £100,000 by the end of March.

The new ‘Help Us Light up Lives with Art’ crowdfunder launched on Tuesday, February 22 ahead of the gallery’s hotly-anticipated official reopening come spring.

Visit the campaign here: www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/lightupliveswithart

Main photo: Rob Browne

Read more: RWA hopes to create new family and community spaces at gallery

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