The William Morris Galley has won its first major national accolade, leaving world famous museums including the V & A, the Cutty Sark and the Titanic Experience in Belfast in its wake.
It was named as Best Permanent Exhibition in the 2013 Museum and Heritage Awards for Excellence at a ceremony on Wednesday, May 15.
It was honoured for the display of artefacts celebrating artist William Morris’s life, housed in his former home.
“The judges visited the gallery unannounced, so they experienced it just as it is,“ says Lorna Lee, head of Waltham Forest’s Cultural and Community Services. “It’s testament to the great service that’s offered at the gallery.“
More than 100,000 people have flocked to see the exhibition since the gallery’s reopening after a multi-million pound refurbishment in August 2012.
The gallery has featured work from Turner Prize winner Grayson Perry and more recently, photographer David Bailey.
Its top floor was turned into a learning and research centre for people to find out more about the artist and his works, while a new extension houses an expanded collection.
The news represents a change in fortunes for the gallery, which was said to be under threat of closure following council cuts in 2007.
Waltham Forest Council had planned to shave £56,000 from its budget, but the proposal was met with fierce opposition from hundreds of campaigners.
It also proposed to move the artefacts to a museum in Lambeth, but abandoned the ideas after facing public backlash. Instead the authority invested millions of pounds – partially sourced from arts organisations – to refurbish the gallery, which has met with acclaim since its reopening last August.
l The William Morris Gallery is also one of ten finalists in the running for the prestigious Art Fund Prize for Museum of the Year, the winner of which will be announced on June 4.