Bradford's Peace Museum given go-ahead to move to Salts Mill

The Peace Museum, which was based on an upper floor of a building on Piece Hall Yard, will now relocate to Salts Mill in the World Heritage Site of Saltaire after the move was approved by Council chiefs.

The museum will be moving from its cramped city centre space – where exhibitions are split between several different rooms - to a large, long-vacant third-floor space at the iconic mill. 

The space was once used for wool sorting. 

Peace Museum staff at the new site inside Salts Mill (Image: Peace Museum)

The new-look Peace Museum at the mill will include a retail space, exhibition area, academic research space, toilets and an office area.

The move out of the current site has been planned for some years, and has been made possible thanks to a National Lottery Grant of £245,000.

It is hoped that the work for the new museum at Salts Mill will be completed by summer 2024.

The museum’s move given the green light by Bradford Council planning chiefs on August 14. 

Planning officer Lucie Fillingham wrote in her decision report: “There is no other comparable museum which is dedicated to the history of peace, its makers and movements within the UK.

“The relocation of the museum to Salts Mill provides an opportunity for the museum to improve its accessibility and prominence. Having an open, single space is pivotal to its long-term security and success.”

She added: "The proposal will bring a vacant floor of the building back into active use which is welcomed in that it will help secure the long-term future and viability of the listed building.

"The museum use will retain the original open space of the former mill and require fewer interventions into the historic fabric that other uses may require and to that end would be an ideal fit."

The Peace Museum is moving from its city centre location (Image: Newsquest)

The Peace Museum opened in 1998 and is the only UK museum dedicated to peace. It holds a variety of artefacts linked to the peace movement, from protest banners to letters and posters.

The planning application’s design and access statement said: “The Peace Museum will work alongside the Salts Mill management structure to provide a positive contribution to its ongoing development.

“The relocation of the Peace Museum will provide a complimentary and beneficial contribution to the attractions and educational opportunities at Salts Mill.

“The intention is for the Peace Museum to be a ‘good fit’ with Salts Mill, respectful of the Saltaire context but clearly a distinct space with its own history and purpose.”