Fears for future of Windsor Museum
Royal Borough considering options for site but ‘no decisions have been made’
Residents are campaigning to keep Windsor Museum and Tourist Information Centre open after the threat of closure was revealed this week, writes
The venue, at Windsor Guildhall, is facing an uncertain future after the council confirmed the way the museum currently operates is ‘no longer viable’ due to budget restraints.
This has ignited concern among the Windsor community as residents and businesses gathered outside the Guildhall on Tuesday to stage a protest.
Independent councillor Alison Carpenter (the Borough First Independents, Clewer and Dedworth East) recalled how residents in the 1990s campaigned for the museum to open and said it ‘would be a shame for it to disappear’.
She told the Express that the ‘problem is a shortfall in the budget’, adding: “I know they’re working hard to find other solutions but... we’re a tourist town so we should have a museum.”
Jack Rankin, who is campaigning to become Windsor’s next Conservative MP, launched a petition on Sunday (January 21) to save the venue from the prospect of closure.
He said: “I think for all of us in Windsor, our heritage is of real great importance to us and it’s a point of pride. You should remember that this museum was opened with quite some fanfare in 2011 after hundreds of thousands of pounds of Royal Borough investment and it was opened by Her Majesty the Queen.
“It’s quite close to a lot of people’s hearts and there’s a lot of volunteers and civic organisations that use the museum as a focal point.
“I think it’s important for the town and something that should be defended.”
He claimed the potential closure was not made clear in the Lib Dem-run council’s budget consultation for the upcoming financial year.
He added: “It’s a breach of trust and fundamentally at
odds with what Windsor wants. We’re a borough town – a double garrison town – and our visitors are important to
us and are a big part of the fabric of our community but also our local economy.”