TOM HENDERSON
PEACE CHANCE
Story of peace As its name suggests, the Peace Museum celebrates the history and the often untold stories of peace, peacemakers, social reform and peace movements.Founded in 1994, the museum houses a collection of 16,000 objects – banners, personal effects, campaign materials and artworks – that have been donated by people and organisations from all over the world. Commenting on how the museum can support Bradford’s auspicious year, Henderson says: “It’s very important. The years of fundraising to enable this project to go ahead and for it to open in readiness for the UK City of Culture for 2025 will go a long way to support not only Bradford but also Saltaire and the surrounding area.” The move to its new home at Salts Mill in the summer of 2024 from Piece Hall Yard in the city centre was made possible by funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Money was raised not only to move the museum but also to expand it, adding new galleries and education spaces.
explains. “This meant that we had a close relationship with the facilities team at Salts Mill – who were excellent to work with – and we even completed most of the construction of the timber displays offsite to prevent as much disruption as possible.” Challenges are inevitable on building sites – and Henderson lists the following at the museum: ● working in an operational building; ● sizing deliveries correctly to fit in the access lift; and ● handling the client’s artefacts and displays respectfully and carefully.
Key to a successful project is “thinking outside of the box”, Henderson explains, along with forging close relationships with all interested parties, including the client, architect and other users of the building. “We built good relationships and worked closely to ensure that the scope was being met throughout the project.”
“For me, it was a once-in- a-lifetime project.”
Overcoming challenges Being a popular spot for visitors,
Henderson says his team needed to work closely with the staff at the Salts Mill to ensure there were minimal disruptions to daily operations. “We had to adapt to the fact that the Mill was operational for three days out of the working week,” Henderson
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