New Gosport museum at Old Grammar School to immortalise messages to loved ones

Hampshire Cultural Trust is redeveloping Gosport' s Old Grammar School building, transforming it into the Gosport Museum and Art Gallery in a £1m project.

The trust has now launched a new fundraising scheme called Tag-A-Tile, which invites people to personalise a clay tile that will be placed in the outdoor courtyard of the museum.

Each clay tile measures 200mm by 100mm and allows for two lines of text. Inscribed with words of the donor’s choice, the tiles could feature a name, a memorable date or a message for a loved one.

One donor, who has not been named by the trust, said: 'We have a boat in Gosport and spend many a happy time here, shopping, talking to all the locals and taking in all the historical sites.

'One of our favourite places is Gosport Gallery for its exhibitions, and we are proud to support it.'

The redevelopment of Gosport's Old Grammar School will see unused rooms converted to a new permanent museum documenting Gosport's history through the eyes of the local community.

It will also see the expansion of the current play gallery, a new community gallery, a new cafe and retail area, the enhancement of existing learning rooms, and the reopening of the entrance onto Gosport High Street.

A new outdoor courtyard area will also feature where the donated tiles will be on display for years to come.

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Paul Sapwell, chief executive of Hampshire Cultural Trust, said: ‘We’re thrilled that planning permission has been granted so that we can now forge ahead with creating Gosport Museum and Art Gallery.

'The rejuvenated building will blend history, heritage, arts, education and culture all under one roof. There will be a programme of exhibitions, talks, workshops and events, as well as curriculum-linked science and history sessions for schools.

'The new museum will see Gosport’s rich naval, military and social heritage take pride of place in the centre of town, while the cafe will provide a fantastic and unique meeting space in and for the community.’

The number of available tiles is limited, with a minimum donation of £30.

To donate a tile people can go to hampshireculture.org.uk/tag-a-tile

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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