Gressenhall Farm and Workhouse has been awarded £131,916 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, topped up by a further £11,500 from the Friends of Gressenhall, to fund a programme of activities marking the site's 250th anniversary in 2027.

The grants were confirmed at the Norfolk Joint Museums Committee meeting on 24 April 2026. Officers did not provide detail on exactly what events or projects the money will fund, but said delivery of the anniversary activities would be supported by both grants.

Gressenhall is already showing strong visitor numbers ahead of the milestone year. A free open day held during the National Lottery Heritage Fund's Open Week in March attracted 1,700 visitors across two days, while a ticketed Christmas family event in 2025 drew 303 attendees.

The Dereham-based museum is also building its social media presence across Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and TripAdvisor as part of efforts to grow its audience. Two University of East Anglia postgraduate students studying MA Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies are expected to undertake placements at the site.

Gressenhall's 250th anniversary preparations come as Norfolk Museums Service as a whole reported a record year, with 432,000 visits across its 10 sites and more than 52,000 school visitors in 2025/26.