Scarborough Art Gallery And Woodend To Re-open To The Public This Week

Two of Scarborough Museums Trust’s three venues will re-open on Saturday 4 July.

Scarborough Art Gallery and Woodend have been closed to the public since lockdown started in late March.

SMT Chief Executive Andrew Clay says:
“Our dedicated staff have all been working very hard to ensure that venues are safe and in line with government guidelines on social distancing and cleanliness. The safety of all our staff and visitors is our top priority.”

Safety measures include:

Protective screens around the reception desks

Hand sanitiser on entry to the buildings and on the top floor of the Art Gallery

Disposable hand towels in the toilets

PPE (gloves, masks and aprons) for staff when cleaning the venues, plus extra cleaning protocols.

Staff monitoring at a safe distance to ensure that visitors are following the distancing guidelines.

Andrew adds:
“The number of visitors within the two spaces will be monitored to ensure that there is enough room for them to move around in a safe and enjoyable manner. Clear wayfinding and arrows will direct them, and staff will be on hand to provide further support and information.

“The internal layout of our third venue, the historic Rotunda Museum, presents certain challenges with regard to social distancing, so we’re delaying opening that for the time being to allow us more time to work out how to do that safely.”

The exhibitions which were on when lockdown started have been extended: at Scarborough Art Gallery, visitors will be able to see The Printmakers Council 1992-2019 and the William Smith map (both until 6 September); and the permanent display of fine art from the Scarborough Borough Collection. At Woodend, colourful vintage travel and tourism posters will be on show in the A Day at the Seaside exhibition until 27 September.

Entry to Scarborough Art Gallery (usually £3, which buys an annual pass), will be free throughout July; entry to Woodend will remain free.

Opening hours remain the same for both venues: Scarborough Art Gallery will be open from 10am to 5pm, Tuesday to Sundays; Woodend from 9am to 5pm Mondays to Fridays and 10am to 4pm Saturdays and Sundays.