Clock is ticking in museum fight
December 5, 2005

http://www.buryfreepress.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=843&ArticleID=127
3615


Staff at Manor House Museum and historic clock enthusiasts have made
impassioned pleas for councillors to think again about proposals to close
the museum and move its nationally acclaimed collections.
At last week's policy meeting, Keith Cunliffe, collections manager at the
Manor House, in Bury St Edmunds, and Gill Hawkins, assistant manager at
Moyse's Hall Museum, addressed councillors to express fears about splitting
a nationally important collection and housing it in inappropriate
conditions.

There are concerns that moving the clock and clothing collection from a
building which has specialist lighting and heating to safeguard them would
damage the collections.

The Bury Society has called for a deferment of any decision and for a
response from John Griffiths, St Edmundsbury Borough Council leader, and
Deborah Cadman, chief executive.

On Saturday, a meeting of the East Anglian Antiquarian Horological Society
voted to do all in its power to keep the museum open.

Chairman Clifford Bird said: "We were all concerned the council took its
decision too soon and we feel there should be a one year delay in the
process to make sure it is the correct one."

Mr Bird added that Moyse's Hall and West Stow were not suitable to display
the time pieces. 

He said: "Moyse's Hall is a medieval building which is damp and sweaty and
could easily cause damage to precious clocks and watches. It could be like
moving the Crown Jewels from the Tower of London on to a stall in the
Millennium Dome."

Bury Town Council is also against selling the Manor House and wants
collections to remain in the town.

This comes after the borough council decided in a review of its museums
structure that it wants to sell the Manor House building and move the
collections to make savings of between £77,750 and £212,200.

An amendment at the policy meeting that the matter be deferred was defeated
and councillors voted to adopt the closure option. This will be decided by
full council on December 13.

Manor House Museum is a Georgian building dating back to 1735 and houses the
Gershom Partkington collection of clocks and watches estimated at worth more
than £10million. It also has a Tissot and Joshua Reynolds canvas on display.
05 December 2005

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