Museum site has backlog of maintenance

APSLEY House, the closed home of Swindon Museum and Art Gallery, needs either a new roof or the leaking current one repaired, a report said.

Its boilers are also broken and it needs a new fire alarm system.

But supporters of getting the museum open again as soon as possible say the list of work needed is not prohibitive or insurmountable.

Apsley House, on the corner of Bath Road and Victoria Road, has been shut since the start of the pandemic in 2020.

Although Swindon Borough Council has agreed to consider opening it again as the home, for now, of the gallery and museum, it has said it’s not fit for purpose in the long term and that reopening would cost thousands of pounds and be uneconomic.

An official list of problems was supplied to Patrick Herring, the South Swindon parish councillor for Eastcott by the borough council.

It lists seven issues caused by damp in galleries, mainly mould or water patches on ceilings and walls but also a bowed ceiling over a corridor.

It says both boilers are broken, a new fire alarm system is needed and water comes through the ceiling in the archaeology gallery.

The report says: “Roofers said roof needs to be repaired or replaced.”

The issue has been passed to the council’s property team but has not been further updated.

Cllr Herring said: “The long and short of it is that there is a list of maintenance work that has been compiled by the council’s Building Services, and it doesn’t appear that quotes have been sought for the work.

“You can judge for yourself exactly how much of this work is big enough to prevent visitor access, or how much money any of it would add up to.”

Fellow parish councillor and chairman of the Friends of Swindon Museum and Art Gallery Linda Kasmaty agreed. She said: “Patrick is right. This isn’t a massive obstacle to getting Apsley House open again.

“The council has money set aside for it; I don’t know why it doesn’t get on and spend it and get Apsley House open.

“A town of Swindon’s size needs a museum and art gallery. I know the council wants to open a new one in the cultural quarter but we don’t know how long that will take.”

Robert Jandy, the council’s cabinet member for culture, heritage, leisure and town centre experience, said: “The essential works outlined just concentrate on the backlog maintenance that needs to be carried out on Apsley House.

“It does not take into account the considerable additional work that is required to improve accessibility so that everyone who wants to access the collections can do so.”