Move carriages to our museum
I fully support David Wigg’s call for the Tyrwhitt Drake Museum of Carriages to be relocated to better premises (‘Call to put unique carriage collection on centre stage’, KM, February 24). This collection, not just of local or even county-wide importance but of national significance, has for the last 75 years been kept in the most unsuitable conditions imaginable, in an unmodernised mediaeval building by the side of a major trunk road in one of the most polluted areas of Maidstone. These historic carriages are constructed of wood, leather, textiles and iron, all materials which are subject to damage by constantly changing humidity and temperature; in addition it is impossible to exclude damaging insect pests from the building. Perhaps the only good thing which can be said for the windowless Archbishop’s
Stables is that it prevents all exposure to the highly damaging effects of sunlight, thus to move the collection to a glass box at Cobtree would, I suggest, in many ways be a move from the frying pan to the fire. Afar better solution would be to move the collection to an extension to Maidstone Museum where it could be provided with the environmentally controlled conditions needed to ensure its longevity.
In addition it would be guaranteed a far greater audience than it gets in its present unattractive location one only needs to have visited Maidstone Museum over the recent school half term period to appreciate how buzzing with visitors it is.
Of course carriages take up a lot of space, which is not readily available at the museum currently.
However, for the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria an extension was built onto the museum building to provide accommodation for a public library (in space now taken over by the museum) and for a school of art, in space now occupied by the Adult Education Centre (AEC).
There have, though, long been rumours of the AEC relocating to other premises in which case this area too could be rededicated to museum use, with the extensive ground floor area being reconfigured to display the carriage collection (and in a much more imaginative and attractive way than is now possible in the Archbishop’s Stables).
A single centralised Museum & Art Gallery complex would provide economies of scale and make management and professional curatorial oversight simpler as well as providing an even bigger attraction to draw in further visitors.
There could be additional benefits through improved community use of the enlarged premises.
The Kent Archaeological Society (KAS) currently shares the use of the museum building to house its library and to display its archaeological collections alongside those of Maidstone Museum, but lack of space is forcing it to consider relocating to alternative premises - a great loss to both parties.
The upper floor of the current AEC could be used to provide enlarged quarters for the KAS and also provide similar areas and meeting spaces for other specialised community groups whose activities complement those of the Museum & Art Gallery, such as the Friends of the Museum, the Kent Field Club, the Kent Geologists Group, the Kent Ornithological Society and many others.
Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee was commemorated a century ago by extending the museum: what better way could there be to commemorate the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II than by refurbishing that extension for the benefit of citizens and visitors over the next hundred years?
Henry Middleton
Oakwood Court, Maidstone