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WORK COMPLETES ON £ 3.3M RENOVATION PROJECT AT HISTORIC BEVERLEY BUILDING
Champney Treasure House , the newly renovated cultural venue in Beverley , has opened its doors to the public after work completed on a major programme of improvements .
Champney Treasure House has been renamed in honour of John Edward Champney , a local businessman who in the early 20th century made several significant donations to the original Beverley Public Library and Art Gallery .
The £ 3.3 million renovation programme by East Riding of Yorkshire Council , and completed by Yorkshire and Lincolnshire construction company , Hobson & Porter , has seen significant improvements made to the much-loved museum , archives , café area , tower viewing point , gardens and art gallery .
Several other services have also relocated to Champney Treasure House such as the Changing Places facility , The Tourist Information Centre ( TIC ), The Register Office and Beverley ’ s Customer Service Centre .
The library has been significantly enhanced and will feature a fully immersive sensory room and ‘ Library Now ’ technology which enables visitors to experience a self-service system outside of core opening hours . The sensory room will be used by library reminiscence groups , amongst others , for captivating story telling in which the listener will be fully immersed into the story through light and sound . The room can also be used as a calm , quiet space for customers with sensory requirements .
Champney Treasure House will also open the Champney Room , a multi-use activity space , and wedding parties will be able to make the most of photo opportunities in the newly landscaped Champney Gardens , which are also open to the public to enjoy .
The walls of Beverley Art Gallery have been painted , creating a stunning backdrop for visitors to view the gallery collection and its upcoming new exhibitions . Major improvements have also been made to the museum including a refreshed area with interactive displays and activities for children with many new exhibitions coming up .
Councillor Nick Coultish , East Riding of Yorkshire Council ’ s cabinet member for culture , leisure and tourism , said : “ The opening of Champney Treasure House marks a significant milestone for our community . We are incredibly proud to open this new cultural venue , a space which houses many essential services whilst becoming a destination where people can come together , explore , learn and celebrate .
‘’ We look forward to seeing Champney Treasure House become a vibrant venue for people of all ages and backgrounds to enjoy .’’
Councillor Nigel Wilkinson , East Riding of Yorkshire Council ’ s cabinet member for finance and governance , said : ‘’ This space will offer a variety of services to our community which will be both useful and enjoyable .
“ The renovation of Champney Treasure House is a testament to our commitment to fostering a vibrant , diverse , and supportive environment for all residents which ensures best value for money . We look forward to seeing the positive impact this will have on our community .”
Joe Booth , business development director from Hobson & Porter , said : “ This has been a superb project to work on that has seen an extensive programme of improvements completed across both the historic Grade II listed parts of the building , as well as the newer contemporary extensions that were added in more recent years .
“ Now that work is complete , there ’ s no doubt Champney Treasure House will become a hugely valuable cultural and community asset for Beverley once again , and we ’ re very proud to have played a key role in its evolution for future generations to enjoy .”
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