TULLIE House Museum and Art Gallery is marking its 125th anniversary this year, by looking back on its history, celebrating recent successes and unveiling exciting plans for the future. The Carlisle museum was officially opened to the public on November 8, 1893, by James Atkinson Wheatley, the Mayor of Carlisle. Over the following years a public library and Schools of Art, Science and Technology were incorporated. The Schools of Art, Science and Technology, and finally the public library, moved to new premises in the city but the museum and art gallery remained and has expanded several times during the past century. In 2011 the museum became an independent charitable trust, moving away from the direct control of Carlisle City Council, although the City Council still provide the majority of the Museum’s core funding today. In 2012 the museum formed a consortium with Lakeland Arts and the Wordsworth Trust; the group is recognised by Arts Council England as a National Portfolio Organisation.

Tullie House is a nationally important museum and centre for learning and thanks to support from the National Lottery, through a Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) Resilient Heritage grant, the museum has launched Project Tullie – a once in a lifetime opportunity in the museum’s 125th year, to reimagine and reinvent Tullie House to become a resilient museum for future generations. Those who would like to find out how to get involved with the Tullie 125th celebration programme of events should visit www.tulliehouse.co.uk.

Project Tullie can unlock the potential that the museum and the collections possess. It will refurbish spaces and provide a platform to share more stories, improve facilities, explore collections and celebrate the lives of the people of Carlisle and Cumbria.