Restroom Block
The Food Museum, Stowmarket
During 2022, Modece was awarded a competitive bid to assist the Food Museum in Stowmarket (formerly the Museum of East Anglian Life) in securing over £1,000,000 from the MEND program. This funding will be used to develop, extend, and refurbish several iconic buildings on the museum's site.
The MEND fund, administered by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and Arts Council England, supports museums in undertaking essential infrastructure projects beyond their regular maintenance budgets.
This funding has enabled Modece + Food Museum to make a significant difference in preserving the museum's historic buildings and enhancing the visitor experience. Some of these include works to the Grade II listed Victorian Stables, Grade II listed Abbots Hall, the Collections Store which houses thousands of historical artefacts and the Grade II Fishing Lodge.
One of the key parts of this project was a complete overhaul of the visitor restrooms in the museum café which replaced the previous dilapidated ones - one of several phases of our work with the Food Museum.
Completed in 2024, the new restroom building neatly links the open corner between the existing café and Activity Room, providing access from both areas as well as the outdoor seating area. It seamlessly integrates both buildings for a low-impact addition to the Home Close area, mindful of the historic buildings surrounding it.
Before and After
Before the renovation, the previous restroom facilities were inadequate, consisting of a small, outdated block with only two toilets. The new building offers nine modern toilets, including a DDA-compliant toilet, a Changing Places toilet, and a Parent/Child toilet, ensuring accessibility for all visitors.
Its flexible design allows one area to be closed off when activities such as school visits are taking place in the Activity Room, for their exclusive use.
In 2024, we were commissioned a second phase of works at the Food Museum including work on four additional buildings on the site. To learn more about our ongoing work with the Food Museum, please visit our blog.
