We oppose effective closure of museum

Whilst we congratulate Canterbury City Council on the successful Lottery and Arts Council award for the development and delivery of the project to transform Canterbury Heritage Museum into an arts and cultural centre, the undersigned heritage institutions based in Canterbury wish to restate our opposition to any scheme that will mean the effective closure of the museum.

The Poor Priests’ Hospital in Stour Street contains the story of Canterbury in spectacular objects, within the most complete medieval hospital in the city. It is the only place in the city where the story of Canterbury can be seen.

The proposed repurposing of the Canterbury Heritage Museum as a home for the Marlowe Youth Theatre and a scheme seeking to bring together the arts and heritage should retain at its heart the story of historic Canterbury, told in objects.

The story of the Iron Age, Roman and Early Anglo-saxon city is told in the Roman M useum on Butchery Lane.

The collections on display in the Beaney Museum tell a very different tale – of Canterbury explorers and collectors, travelling out into the world, bringing back treasure trove to their homes and city. It is the combination of these three venues that complement a visit to our World Heritage city and provide a continuing source of inspiration for Heritage and the Arts.

We hope that it will be possible to create a place in Stour Street where the story of Canterbury can be told in a ways that are exciting, interesting and authoritative and that the building and its collections remain accessible to visitors to the city, to local people and for students, whether in schools or universities.

It is vital that we give enough time to planning this momentous change, in order to make use of all the knowledge and enthusiasm for heritage available in the city, so that we end up with the best possible outcome.

If the scheme being proposed is truly concerned with the development and strengthening of cross-sector collaboration, then we heritage institutions need more time to discuss ideas with the Marlowe Theatre Trust and the city council, particularly the seminal issue of retaining the story of Canterbury in objects within the building.

We hope that when the CCC Community Committee reviews the results of public consultation on March 29 they will delay their decision and recommend more time for the planning stage of this important new initiative and for full engagement with key heritage partners. Professor Jackie Eales and Professor Louise Wilkinson, Co-directors of the Centre for Kent History and Heritage, Canterbury Christ Church University Dr Sophie Vigneron Director of the Centre for Heritage, University of Kent Dr Amy Blakeway, Deputy Director of the Centre for Medieval and Early Modern Studies, University of Kent Dr Sheila Sweetinburgh, Lecturer in Medieval and Early Modern Studies, University of Kent Professor Kenneth Fincham, Professor of Early Modern History, University of Kent Professor Jan Pahl, CBE, Chair of the Canterbury Society Andrew Webster, Honorary Treasurer, Friends of Canterbury Museums Dr David Shaw, Chairman of Trustees, Canterbury Archaeological Trust Dr Paul Bennett, Director, Canterbury Archaeological Trust, visiting Professor, Centre for Kent History and Heritage, Canterbury Christ Church University Dr Andrew Richardson, Outreach Manager, Canterbury Archaeological Trust Dr Anthony Ward, Chairman, Friends of Canterbury Archaeological Trust