Elmbridge Museum collection must move 'as a matter of urgency'
When it was last assessed for accreditation, the issue of poor storage facilities was flagged as a key area for improvement. The next assessment is expected later this year or in 2026.The report said: "Given the proximity to the next scheduled Arts Council accreditation assessment, it is proposed that the museum collection located at Elmgrove be moved... as a matter of urgency."The report said that, if the museum were to lose accreditation, it would "suffer significant reputational damage, will find it harder to recruit staff, and will also be ineligible for many streams of funding."It added that, if the museum ever wished to borrow items from other institutions for displays, this would become impossible without accreditation, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
Between June 2022 and September 2024 various options were explored, according to a council report, but no feasible sites have been yet been identified.Options under consideration include the Luxfords storage facility, in Weybridge.This currently houses a significant part of the museum collection and additional space is available but conversion works would be needed, according to a report.The Luxfords site is also not publicly accessible - prompting the council to explore a longer-term solution in partnership with Brooklands Museum.Discussions are under way to relocate the full collection to Brooklands' Acoustics Building, which would be converted into a shared facility.The project could take up to three years.The council plans to commission a feasibility study later this year to develop detailed proposals, costings, and governance options for the partnership.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
3 hours ago
- BBC News
Public in Spelthorne urged to contribute to planning document
Residents of a Surrey district are being urged to have their say on a document which would influence the future of their towns.A public consultation is under way into the Spelthorne Design Code, which will be used as criteria for planning applications put before Spelthorne Borough will contain guidance on issues including the height and size of buildings, green and public spaces, street layouts and where new housing could be built, the council consultation will run until 4 August. The draft code has already been updated after a first public consultation in March and authority also previously organised walking tours to gather public opinion about the Beecher, chair of the environment and sustainability committee, said the code set out a "shared vision for how we want our borough to grow"."The Design Code reflects what matters most to the people of Spelthorne," he said."This survey is your final chance to help shape this important planning document so please do have your say."
BBC News
4 hours ago
- BBC News
New development on Surrey green belt approved
A plan to build 45 homes on Surrey green belt land has been given the green light. Park Lane, near Warlingham, will be developed by Chartwell Land and New Homes Ltd following approval by Tandridge District Council's planning committee on had been raised about substantial harm to the green belt, highway safety and flooding, while councillors said they were worried a refusal could lead to a costly appeal faces a shortage of affordable homes, with more than 10,000 households on a local authority housing waiting list, according to a Surrey County Council (SCC) document. 'Another dreary suburb' The scheme will see open paddock land on the edge of Warlingham, which sits within the designated protected green belt, developed into a housing Johnson, part of the campaign group Save Warlingham's Green Belt, said at the meeting the land provided a "longstanding buffer between Warlingham and the countryside".One resident said the village would lose its "rural feel" and "become another dreary suburb of Croydon".A majority of councillors gave the scheme the go-ahead after considering the affordable housing provision, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. They said they feared if they refused the application a lengthy and expensive appeal process would ensue that they would ultimately lose, therefore wasting taxpayers' money.
BBC News
6 hours ago
- BBC News
Harvington Hall priest hole challenge will have 'mental effect'
The manager of an Elizabethan manor house, spending 48 hours in one of its priest holes, says the exercise was going to be "quite a mental challenge".Phil Downing will be spending the two days in the hiding space which was "about the same size as a coffin, just taller" in order to raise money for Harvington Hall in Worcestershire. He has previously spent 24 and 36-hour spells in the hide "and I've got it on recording that I would never do it again," he added. "It's going to have some kind of effect on me psychologically," he added. The hiding places were built by families that carried on practising Catholicism in the Elizabethan period when it was could hide in them to avoid "priest hunters", said Mr Downing. The house has seven hides in total, some of which are "the most ingenious in the country". One is situated behind a swinging beam, with another above a bread oven in the kitchen. It was going to be "pitch black," in the hiding place, he added, "it's just me and my own thoughts for two days". He explained he would cope by "putting myself in the mindset of a 16th Century priest."They could be in there for over a week, and they didn't know if they were going to starve to death or not," he said. "I could imagine it would be much tougher for them than it will be for me." Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
