Elmbridge Museum in Surrey is currently reviewing every single one of the 41,000 objects in its care as part of a review that could see the museum close in April of next year.

Elmbridge Borough Council has publicly stated that an ambitious 18-month review is ongoing which will analyse the museum’s entire collection and find more appropriate homes for items of no relevance to the local area. The first stage of this review is almost complete.

As part of the council’s Museum Development Plan, the museum’s opening hours may be reduced in November in preparation for a move to a new Collections Resource Centre.

Under the current timetable, the old venue in Church St will close in April 2012 and its artefacts moved to a new that will open in 2013.

A draft project outline and timetable has been made public and is as follows:

• May - September 2011. Desk review of collection and identification of artefacts to donate or transfer.
• June - September 2011. Segmentation of remaining collection under expert advice.
• September - December 2011. Develop new museum website specifications.
• November 2011. Possible reduction in museum opening hours to prepare for move.
• December 2011 - January 2012. Identification of options for location of new storage space.
• February 2012. New store construction.
• April 2012. Provisional date for closure of museum to move.
• May - August 2012. Collections move from museum to new store.
• September - December 2012. Set up and implement new collection database to integrate to museum website.
• January 2013. New Collections Resource Centre opens.

Commenting on the review, Councillor Jan Fuller, portfolio holder for leisure and cultural services, said: “The on-going collections review has already enabled the Elmbridge Museum team to identify items which are truly relevant to the borough's past.

“This is a long process in which every single item is measured against professional guidelines to assess its value and interest for the local community.

“Ultimately, this will lead to new and innovative ways to interpret and present the history of the Borough to local residents.”

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