Revised Statement from our President about Castle Arch

The following revised statement will appear in the next Society Bulletin:
 
Surrey Archaeological Society and Guildford Museum
David Bird    December 2015
 
Members will be aware of the current situation concerning the Society and Guildford Museum from an earlier Bulletin and from messages on our web page. Guildford Borough Council has told the Society to move out of Castle Arch, thus breaking the close partnership that has existed for over 100 years. This includes the clearance of all our material from the displays and in store in Guildford Museum. The Society has also been told that rent will be charged for storage of our material in the Museum’s off-site store. 
 
The Society’s officers have made it clear to the Borough Council that it would not be possible to remove everything from the Museum with due care in the time allotted. Recognising the difficulties, and that this would result in a virtually empty Museum, the Borough Council has indicated that it wishes to find a way to keep the Society’s material in the Museum for a period beyond January 2016. The Society’s Council has agreed that it would prefer to see the Society’s material remain there for the moment if the alternative was that it would be at risk. 
 
The Society’s Council has decided not to pursue the Borough Council’s offer to sell to the Society 48 Quarry Street, the nineteenth century building next to Castle Arch which currently houses archaeological displays and museum offices. The cost, including repairs and the extensive refurbishment required to make the building fit for our purposes, would have been well over a million pounds and would therefore have had a completely unacceptable impact on the Society’s ability to function. There was also no guarantee that Guildford Museum would remain at Castle Arch and no access to the Castle grounds. The Society understands that the building is likely to be sold to a third party.
 
The Management Committee has been active in seeking short-term solutions for the office and library should they be necessary and to explore longer-term options with other organisations to be able to provide better information at the AGM and the meeting on 27 February following the spring symposium. A questionnaire is being prepared for the December Bulletin which we hope as many members as possible will return so that the wider membership’s views are known.
 
Solutions may involve moving out of Guildford Borough. It is important to recognise that this will inevitably lead to a new perspective for the Society and may well open up new opportunities. Our longstanding agreement with the Borough Council was on the basis that all of our collections were held together with the Guildford Museum collections. Several other museums have already expressed interest in our collections and alternative locations may be offered on the basis that we take our county-wide collections with us. In short the situation would be reversed and material directly relevant to Guildford may be displayed away from the Borough.
 
The Borough Council has announced a short period of consultation about the future of Guildford Museum ending in November 2015. Members who wish to express a view are encouraged to write to James Whiteman, Director of Environment, Guildford Borough Council, Millmead House, Millmead, Guildford, Surrey, GU2 4BB or send an email to James.Whiteman@guildford.gov.uk.
 
The Society has always supported proposals to upgrade the existing Museum location at Castle Arch by creating new galleries and, most importantly, a new entrance into the Castle grounds. This would provide the area needed for displays of the archaeology and history of Surrey and the many different county-wide themes that can be developed. Regular use of the open space in the adjoining castle grounds, part of the royal palace, should be encouraged as it was when museum visitor numbers were at their peak. Sadly, in our view, it seems unlikely that this is what will happen.
 
The situation may change and it may not be possible to keep members up to date by use of the Bulletin. Members who have not already done so are encouraged to send their email address to Emma Coburn at Castle Arch (info@surreyarchaeology.org.uk) so that they can receive emails about any new developments.