North Down Museum marked its 40th anniversary with a special celebration on Wednesday, 16 October.
The event commemorated 40 years since the museum, originally known as The Heritage Centre, first opened on 16 October 1984. Over the past four decades, the museum has grown significantly, achieving official museum accreditation status in 2007, which it has retained ever since.
The event was attended by The Mayor of Ards and North Down, Councillor Alistair Cathcart, along with museum staff, both past and present, and invited guests. Speaking at the event, The Mayor reflected on the museum’s journey, noting:
“Since the museum’s completion in 1989, our heritage service has grown from strength to strength, evolving from a small visitors’ centre into a fully accredited museum service. I would like to thank everyone who has contributed over the years – our supporters, donors, and visitors. Most importantly, I’d like to acknowledge the hard work of the museum staff, both past and present, for their dedication in maintaining and expanding this vital community service.”
Museum Manager, Arlene Matthews said: “Here at the museum our staff are dedicated to continuously improving and evolving our service, discovering new artefacts and history throughout the borough and finding new and exciting ways to tell these stories. We see the museum as a place where everyone is welcome to visit, to learn and to share”.
As part of the celebrations, the museum has launched the “North Down Museum at 40” exhibition, taking visitors through the museum’s rich history. The display traces its origins from a modest collection housed in just two rooms to the vibrant museum it is today, attracting over 70,000 visitors annually. The exhibition is open in the museum’s Community Gallery until 2 February 2025.
For more information, visit andculture.org.uk.
