An exciting milestone has been reached for Dunfermline’s new cultural hub.
The construction work on Dunfermline’s new museum, library and art gallery is now complete and attention is turning to the interior of the building ahead of its opening in spring 2017.
BAM Construction recently handed the Dunfermline Carnegie Library and Galleries building over to Fife Council and a display fit out contractor is now hard at work to bring the new museum spaces to life.
The museum’s audio visual and IT software is being finalised and the mounting of the new museum’s display objects onto the display plinths and into showcases will begin in early 2017.
Fife Cultural Trust will operate the facility on behalf of Fife Council.
The brand new building is integrated with the historic listed Dunfermline Carnegie Library in the heart of the Heritage Quarter.
It will house a museum over two floors, three temporary exhibition galleries, a café, a new children’s library and a local history, study and archives space.
The new cultural hub hopes to attract up to 280,000 visitors each year, and contribute an annual visitor spend of around at least £500,000 to the local economy.
Display design and activities curator Lesley Botten said the building, overlooking Dunfermline Abbey, was prestigious, and what would be on offer inside would match that high quality.
From talking royals – Queen Margaret will chat to visitors – to the Queensferry Crossing and navy aircraft carriers, the history of the area and its people will dominate.
Some of the 400 people involved in the much anticipated project – most of whom are volunteers – have collated an oral history of Dunfermline, some of which is very moving.
The new galleries will offer the chance for paintings to be displayed for the first time in the town while outside there is another first – a garden maze, which will bring back memories of Pittencrieff Park’s long gone maze.
Touring the new complex would give visitors at least half a day’s worth of things to see, she said.
“We have definitely got enough now to keep tourists in town for a full day or maybe more,” she added.
