Margate Museum - threat of closure

[Sarah]

Rather incredibly, TDC has posted its Key Budget Proposals for 2008/09 on its website. It includes a proposal to close both the Margate Museum and the Ramsgate Maritime Museum:

"TSR18 Museums and grant to the East Kent Maritime Trust
(Saving £100,000)

The Council currently grant aids the East Kent Maritime Trust, who provide museum services and supervise collections at Margate and Ramsgate. Sadly the council grant of around £100,000 a year supports services that are used by only around 10,000 visitors each year – equating to a subsidy of around £10 per visitor. This is not sustainable in the current financial climate and the Cabinet believes that
this grant must cease in 2008/09. The Council will discuss with the Trust the best way forward to achieving the following objectives:-
* A thorough review of the current museum exhibits, with the aim of establishing a series of high-quality themed exhibitions which can be displayed at various venues across the district and, possibly, county.
* The presentation of a core, static museum display on the ground floor of Albion House, Ramsgate – in rooms not required for civic accommodation
* The release of accommodation currently occupied at both Ramsgate and Margate for potential alternative commercial or community
As part of this change programme, the Council is willing to fund a post for two years to support the reconfiguration of the Museum collections."

The officer who wrote this doesn't seem to have factored in the many enquiries and research work the museums assist with, nor their outreach work in schools - so the '£10 a visitor' figure is a complete red herring. Margate Museum also stores TDC's art collection, and there would be a not inconsiderable expense involved in re-housing it in the correct conditions.

The key here seems to be freeing up a couple of potentially lucrative buildings...again.

Financial considerations aside, this would leave Ramsgate a tourist-attraction-free zone. And the Grotto would be Margate's sole remaining attraction. Margate Museum also houses an extensive Dreamland archive, most of it in store but all of it accessible to anyone who wishes to view it.

Goodness only knows where the collections would end up.

The cabinet are apparently voting on this at their next meeting. I expect there to be a local outcry once it hits the papers, so let's hope the weight of public opinion can work its magic again.

Sarah

[Cheryl]

It is beginning to sound like a nonsense, one thing after another closing - you couldn't make it up.

If the worst does happen, perhaps it may be possible to 'grab' anything to do with Dreamland and Margate resort as a whole, to display at the proposed heritage plans for Dreamland. It would be devastating to see such historic items wasted.

[Margate Architecture]

It really beggars belief! The irony of it is that as a newcomer to Margate last year, I was instructed by multiple TDC officials to do my research on my house at the Margate museum as they, TDC, didn't have records anymore.

Margate museum was my first port of call in Margate and the people that run it were so helpful. I agree it sounds like they're going for selling of lucrative property in the old town.

It's really outrageous.

M.A.

[porterm]

This sounds like yet another short sighted example on behalf of the Council again. The facility might not be heavily used, or profitable, but does everything have to meet certain cash induced criteria these days? No doubt there are some built-in accountancy targets there.

Is nothing sacred today? (I think I've already answered that question sadly)

The line of that old Depeche Mode tune ("everything counts in large amounts") bodes quite well here I reckon.

Martin

[Becks045]

The council do not have a clue. I despair with them. They are trying to create tourism into the old town, so surely it must be a good thing thats where the museum is.

Its got some really interesting things in there. If the council got off theit backsides and actually promoted the place, I've sure they would get more visitors.

You can't claim to want a seaside resort for tourists and close everything!!!!!!!!!

[Lou]

Well, would like to say I am shocked at TDC, but no, not shocked at all, just very sad that TDC seem to have no insight at all.
So everyone will come down to the Turner Centre, spend an hour or so there and then head home again, never to return, because there was nothing else to see (apart from Sarahs place of course)
Why do we have to continually have to fight for these precious things? Dreamland was left to rot, and the Margate Caves - but we have millions of pounds to spend on the bloody Turner Centre, which in my eyes is going to be a complete eyesore. Shame we can't have that money to keep the things that are here and are wonderful!
Rant, Rant and more Rant

[Sarah]

I know what you mean Lou, but the Turner Contemporary is a different kind of problem altogether. The money that is being used for it - and the money that has pretty much gone up in smoke so far - would never be made available for other projects. That money is available for a major arts project, and if it hadn't been earmarked for Turner Contemporary it would doubtless have gone to a similarly grand scheme in Folkestone/Hastings/etc.

The problem I think has been that far too many people have concentrated on TC, focussed on it as being the saviour of Margate, the sole light at the end of a particularly gloomy tunnel, and in doing so allowed so many other valuable sites to deteriorate and die.

You're right of course that one (small) art gallery cannot sustain a town. Margate needs what the regeneration industry calls 'a broad offer', ie a range of attractions to appeal to a range of people, keep them entertained and persuade them to return.

There appears to be little hope for the Margate Caves. The Tudor House opens for four or five days a year. The Droit House seems to have closed its doors. And with the Museum under threat, it's entirely possible that 2008 will see the Grotto being the only operating attraction in the town.

Pity poor Ramsgate too. Having lost first the Model Village, then the Motor Museum, the closure of the Maritime Museum would leave it a tourist attraction free zone.

Never mind the impact on tourists or the economy, it also really pains me that all these quirky, fascinating little places are disappearing just when the public is rediscovering its taste for quirky, fascinating little places. The fine book B******s to Alton Towers (subtitled Uncommonly British Days Out) was a Top 10 Bestseller. The follow-up Far From the Sodding Crowd has sold out in hardback (which is gratifying for me as the Grotto is the book's very first entry).

Oh dear, another rant.

Sarah

[EAS]

And a rant with which I heartily agree.

Fine words from EH about seaside regeneration butter no parnips, there is no joined-up thinking.

[EAS]

Another worrying report:

http://margatearchitecture.blogspot.com ... r-own.html

[Becks045]

I just can't get my head around why the council wants to close the tourist attractions. They have a tourist officer, apprently, but with no tourist attractions what exactly does this person do?

I agree, Margate needs a wide range of different types of attractions including shops back on the High Street otherwise no-one will visit or if they do, they certianly won't come back.

I wish the Council and Regeneration committees would understand that The Turner gallery (I am in favour of it) is not going to restore Margate alone, its one item of many that needs to happen before Margate will ever transform.