The City of London Corporation has won the national ‘Planning Permission of the Year’ at the prestigious Planning Awards 2024 for its decision to approve a mixed-use scheme at 65 Crutched Friars by Dominus, which will include a new permanent home for the Migration Museum in the City of London.
The new building, a stone’s throw from Fenchurch Street, Aldgate and the Tower of London, will provide a state-of-the-art permanent home for the Migration Museum on the bottom three floors of a new student accommodation development.
The new museum will encompass interactive temporary and permanent exhibition galleries, flexible event and education space, an artist studio, outdoor areas for programming and activation, and a cafe/restaurant and shop that will be a core part of the museum’s offer, showcasing the significant impact of migration on food and business.
Dominus are currently on-site delivering this planning permission – completion is anticipated for 2027.
Planning Award judges praised the scheme for its focus and potential to attract a broader range of diverse communities into the City.
Chairman of the City of London Corporation’s Planning and Transportation Committee, Shravan Joshi, said:
“The City is a true melting pot of cultures, bringing together people from around the World and is a living demonstration of how communities have thrived over centuries in this amazing place. It wouldn’t be what it is today, without being welcoming, open-minded and open-hearted.
That is why I am delighted that the planning permission which involves the Migration Museum finding a new permanent home in the heart of the City as well as much needed student accommodation to support London’s Higher Education offer has been recognised by the Planning Awards and I pay tribute to the brilliant planning team who have made this possible.”
Migration Museum CEO, Sophie Henderson, said:
“We cannot think of a more exciting or resonant location for Britain’s missing museum than the City of London, site of some of the oldest and most intriguing migration stories from the Romans to medieval times and the present day. The Migration Museum will be a high profile, stylish and welcoming new cultural institution that puts our long, rich and complex story of the movement of people both to and from Britain over the ages right at centre stage, where it belongs. It has been a privilege and pleasure to work with the City planning team and developers Dominus to bring this important project to fruition.”
Principal Director of Dominus, Jay Ahluwalia, said:
“We’re thrilled that the City of London has received this award, recognising their collaborative approach, working creatively alongside developers to enable impactful developments such as these to come forward. We’re now on site building out this great development and look forward to continued partnership with the Migration Museum at 65 Crutched Friars to deliver their permanent new home and broaden the cultural offer in The City.”
The Migration Museum’s exhibition Heart of the Nation: Migration and the Making of the NHS has won Temporary or Touring Exhibition of the Year at the Museums + Heritage Awards 2024.
Heart of the Nation is a national touring exhibition shining a light on the stories and experiences of people who have come to Britain to create, shape and sustain the NHS at all levels since its creation in 1948.
It features dozens of personal stories contributed by NHS workers past and present, alongside photography, film, oral histories, keepsakes, newly commissioned artworks and a music and film installation co-created by artists Kaia Laurielle and Emmanuel Sugo and seven first- and second-generation migrant NHS workers.
The exhibition, which began as a digital exhibition during lockdown, launched in Leicester in June 2023 to coincide with the NHS’s 75th anniversary. The exhibition was open to the public at Leicester Museum & Art Gallery for four months, accompanied by a series of workshops and events ranging from talks to music and craft workshops to yoga sessions.
Heart of the Nation at Leicester Museum & Art Gallery (Photo: Everything’s Fine Photography)
It then moved to Leeds, where we staged the exhibition from our Migration Museum Leeds Pop-Up in Trinity Leeds shopping centre from November 2023 until February 2024.
We launched the final leg of the national tour at the Migration Museum in Lewisham, south London, where Heart of the Nation runs until 27 July 2024.
Heart of the Nation at the Migration Museum in Lewisham (Photo: Sopo Ramischwili)
Heart of the Nation was shortlisted in a prestigious field alongside Titanosaur: Life as the Biggest Dinosaur at the Natural History Museum, Black Atlantic: Power, People, Resistance at the Fitzwilliam Museum; Irish in Britain’s Look Back to Look Forward: 50 Years of the Irish in Britain; and Beyond the Page: South Asian Miniature Painting and Britain at MK Gallery.
The award, decided by a panel of independent judges with extensive experience across the museums and heritage sector, was announced at a glittering ceremony at the Hilton Park Lane London, known as the ‘Oscars of the Museum World’, on Wednesday 15 May.
Artists Emmanuel Sugo and Kaia Laurielle with the Migration Museum’s Matthew Plowright and Harriet Costello at the Museums + Heritage Awards 2024
Aditi Anand, Artistic Director at the Migration Museum and lead curator of Heart of the Nation, said: “We’re beyond thrilled that Heart of the Nation has won Temporary or Touring Exhibition of the Year and to be recognised by our peers from across the museums and heritage sector – it’s a massive honour.”
“Heart of the Nation highlights the vital role that migrants have always played in the NHS and the extent to which, just like the NHS, migration is central to the very fabric of who we are in Britain – as individuals, as communities and as nations. Now more than ever, this is a story that needs to be told.”
“I’m so proud of what we created and grateful to all the creative, empathetic and generous people who contributed to making this exhibition so special. This project is dedicated to all the NHS workers from around the world who care for us – we are honoured to be able to share and preserve your stories for future generations.”
Bernard Donoghue OBE, one of the award judges and Director and CEO of the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions, said: “All of my fellow award judges and I were hugely impressed with the Migration Museum’s Heart of the Nation exhibition. The exhibition couldn’t be more important, timely and brilliantly executed.
“We were especially impressed, and moved, that the exhibition told the stories of individual people; their individuality, passions, sacrifices and contributions to the NHS, to society, and to the UK came through powerfully. We were delighted to award the Migration Museum this prestigious prize and urge everyone to see this wonderful exhibition.”
The Migration Museum would like to thank our funders who have made this exhibition possible: Arts Council England, Garfield Weston, People’s Postcode Trust, The Rumi Foundation, The Dorfman Foundation and Unbound Philanthropy. Thank you to Leicester Museums for being such amazing hosts – we couldn’t have been made to feel more welcome. And to Landsec for providing us with the venue for our pop up in Trinity Leeds – and our current home in Lewisham Shopping Centre.
And a massive thank you to all of the artists, collaborators, designers and current and former NHS workers who have contributed stories, photos, uniforms, party dresses, placards and so much more – this exhibition is for you.
You can visit our award-winning Heart of the Nation exhibition at the Migration Museum in Lewisham, south London, until 27 July – plan your visit here.
And watch this short film on the making of SPEAK, the music and film installation that forms the physical and emotional centre-piece of the exhibition to see all the love and dedication that went into it and get a glimpse of what Heart of the Nation is all about:
Our Migrant Makers Market, designed by spatial designer Studio Lucy Sanderson, has recently reopened and features a wider range of products made by migrant-led makers and brands than ever before. It provides a much-needed platform for underrepresented makers, brands and businesses that otherwise aren’t available in high street spaces. Take a closer look and among the products you will discover the stories of the entrepreneurs behind them.
Announcing the award for Best Shop, the judges said: “An innovative and inclusive space which looks amazing and works with the museum ethos – an exciting way to approach cultural retail.”
Awarding the Rising Star award to our Retail Manager, Katy Clinch, the judges said: “Katy is a team player and inclusive leader who champions professional and personal development and is an ambassador for retail across the sector.”
Our Migrant Makers Market was designed by spatial designer Studio Lucy Sanderson, chosen to create the space following an open call to local artists and designers in 2022.
“The Migrant Makers Market’s spatial design is influenced by the design language of UK high streets, markets, and shopping centres, as well as the borough of Lewisham’s blue and yellow brand identity honouring its home in the heart of Lewisham. The design pays homage to iconic brands, many of which were created by immigrants, while celebrating and providing a platform for future migrant-founded brands and businesses.” – Lucy Sanderson, founder of Studio Lucy Sanderson and designer of the Migrant Makers Market.
You can explore our award-winning Migrant Makers Market by visiting us in-store or online.
Congratulations to everyone who was shortlisted for these awards and to all of the other winners – it was inspiring to see so many incredible ranges and so much creativity on display.
Top image: Katy Clinch, Retail Manager at the Migration Museum, with the two awards at the Cultural Enterprises Awards 2023 Migrant Makers Market images: photos by Sopo Ramischwili
Announcing the award for Best Shop, the judges said: “An innovative and inclusive space which looks amazing and works with the museum ethos – an exciting way to approach cultural retail.”
