Cromwell Museum under threat

The Cromwell Museum in Huntingdon, housed in the old grammar school where Cromwell once studied. Photo: © Copyright Michael Trolove (CC BY-SA 2.0)

The Cromwell Museum, opened in Huntingdon in 1962 as a place to interpret the legacy of the Oliver Cromwell, is set to close for funding reasons unless alternative arrangements can be found (STOP PRESS: decision due in February - sign the petitions now!) ...

Budget cuts mean Cambridgeshire County Council has must save £149m over five years, and the council has indicated that the museum will close in order to make a saving of £20,000. Though it is open to the option of transferring the collection to another operator, an alternative has not yet been found.

The museum currently attracts around 10-11,000 visitors each year, with almost a third travelling over 50 miles to see Huntingdon's only tourist attraction.

In response a campaign group - Save the Cromwell Museum - has been set up to fight the proposed closure. Their website details the importance of the unique collection:

The Museum has a wide ranging collection of paintings, documents, personalia, decorative objects and coins and medals. It is the best collection of Cromwell related material that exists. Most of the collection is on exhibition. In addition to the permanent display there are temporary exhibitions.

It is the only accredited museum that focuses solely on Cromwell and the mid-17th century. Accreditation is a scheme run by Arts Council England and it requires museums to meet documentation, conservation, interpretation and curatorial standards.

Below: Bob Pugh and Victor Lucas from the campaign explain the importance of the museum to Huntingdon and the region.


Sign the petition/s

Petitions have been set-up to sign for those who live inside and outside Cambridgeshire to express their concern about the proposed closure. Both can be accessed by clicking on the links below:

For those who live/own a business/work/attend a school or college in Cambridgeshire:

•  http://epetition.cambridgeshire.public-i.tv/epetition_core/community/petition/2545 
• https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CromwellMuseum

For those who do not live/own a business/work/attend a school or college in Cambridgeshire:

• https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CromwellMuseum

Links

http://savethecromwellmuseum.org/
https://www.facebook.com/savethecromwellmuseum
https://twitter.com/SaveCromwellMsm
ITV News feature about the closure
http://www.olivercromwell.org - The Cromwell Association