First-time Visitors Must Be Encouraged To Guildford Museum

Published on: 17 Feb, 2016
Updated on: 17 Feb, 2016

From Jennie Kyte

Guildford Museum is under review with falling visitor numbers. Consequently, more exhibitions at the museum are planned to encourage people to revisit it.

However, I do think that it is first-time visitors that need to be encouraged.

After all, it is unlikely that people keep revisiting the castle after their first visit and yet the castle has higher visitor numbers.

A reason for this could be that the castle and Castle Grounds are promoted at the tourist office, whereas the museum has not been promoted (even though it is an important part of the castle heritage area and close to Lewis Carroll’s house).

I have a ‘Discover – The Guildford Town and River Walk’ leaflet. Attractions, such as Rack’s Close, Castlecliffe Gardens, the Chestnuts, and Castle Grounds (with castle) are heavily promoted, each with a heading and a descriptive paragraph. Guildford Museum is not mentioned, yet it is an ideal museum to include on a walk during a visit to Guildford. (I always take my visitors on such a walk and include the museum, and it is much enjoyed.)

Recently I picked up the ‘Self Guided Walk of Guildford’ leaflet at the tourist office. The museum was given no prominence and was just mentioned in passing under the heading of another attraction. I do wonder how many people even know about the museum.

Guildford Museum is a delightful museum for children. The toy section and the railway station and possibly Alice and Wonderland could be promoted in a paragraph about the museum as well as the description ‘Guildford Artefacts’. A more varied description of the museum would encourage visitors.

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