Rotherhithe’s Brunel Museum will reopen its doors on Monday next week after being closed since lockdown in March.
The institution received emergency funding to weather the coronavirus pandemic, and launched a crisis appeal which saw nearly £5,000 raised from donors.
A new director will take over the helm at the museum, Cathy Pütz, when it reopens 12-5pm, Monday to Saturday.
The museum tells the history of Brunel’s tunnel, the first tunnel to be built under a river anywhere in the world.
The tunnel is now used for the Overground between Rotherhithe and Wapping, but the museum hosts live music and cocktail evenings around the shaft.
“It’s an honour to be taking the reins of The Brunel Museum at such an important moment in its history,” said Dr Pütz.
“The site tells a compelling story about the ingenuity of the Brunels and, through the museum, their legacy has the power to inspire future engineers to create the world of tomorrow.
“I want to work with our community and our visitors to ensure the museum fulfils its potential now and in the years to come.”
The Midnight Apothecary, a pop-up cocktail bar in the museum’s garden and terrace, has also reopened from Thursday to Sunday.
The museum said it would also be implementing new safety measures in the wake of the pandemic, including card payments only and logging names and email addresses of visitors for contact tracing.
The bar is a real community hub. It’s so important it remains open. Thank goodness.