True’s Yard Museum is currently undergoing an extension project, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, which is set to open to the public in Spring 2010. The extended Museum houses the last remaining domestic smokehouse in King’s Lynn, which is being faithfully restored, including the fishy aroma! The extension will also include King’s Lynn’s first sound archive and a new Education Room to improve school visits to the Museum. The smokehouse has received Grade II listed status from English Heritage, meaning a separate planning application had to be put in for Listed Building consent. Although this hasn’t held up the building work and we are already one month into a five month build. True’s Yard Summer Event’s Programme for 2009 is already underway. The first event, Creatures from the bottom of the Fleet, took place on the 28th July, and was attended by fifteen local children and their parents. In just two hours they learnt about a variety of different sea creatures, made clay models of bizarre and frightening creatures and underwater mobiles to take home. To coincide with the first King’s Lynn Hanse Festival, the Museum is opening its doors to the public for free on the 1st August 2009. We have used this opportunity to launch a temporary exhibition entitled; The Smokehouses of the North End, this will run for the remainder of the summer and gives an insight into the industry and the people behind it.

The Museum extention was officially opened to the public on 5th February 2010 by HM The Queen and HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Visitors can see the restored smokehouse, complete with real smoked red herring! The complex also contains King's Lynn's first sound archive, where visitors can listen to the voices of the old Northenders and make recordings of their own, for future generations to hear. Education facilities are also much improved with the addition of a new education room, which is available to rent, and is where Museum events are held. The Summer events programme for children is now available. Please contact outreach@truesyard.co.uk for more information.