Mather is first past the post for Newmarket museum

WILMSLOW-based museums consultancy Mather & Co has been awarded a contract to design the new National Horseracing Museum at Newmarket, Suffolk.

The company won the contract via a competitive tender process. After an intensive period of work with the museum team, the proposal will now be put forward for Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) grant support.

The project’s aim is to develop the Palace House Stables which were used for the training of racehorses from the days of Charles II and produced 17 Classic winners in their heyday between 1837 and 1926.

The site, scheduled to open in 2014, will now house a new world-class museum in the outer yard of the stables, the Gallery of the British Sporting Art Trust (BSAT) in Palace House, an education centre in the Mews and a working yard for the Retraining of Racehorses charity (RoR) in the yard and paddocks.

Fundraising for the project is the responsibility of the Home of Horseracing Trust and its intention is to create a centre that celebrates the contribution Newmarket has made to the growth of the sport worldwide.

Mather & Co has also recently worked on the design of the new National Football Museum at Urbis, Manchester.

Lead designer Paul Lee said: “The National Horseracing Museum is a fantastic win for Mather & Co that not only underlines our reputation in the sports sector but presents a hugely exciting challenge to create a new visitor attraction experience at the ‘headquarters’ of British thoroughbred racing.”