Museum Review Continues – Council Would Never Sell Castle Arch House

Published on: 24 Sep, 2015
Updated on: 25 Sep, 2015

Guildford Borough Council’s review of Guildford Museum continues. A review group meets tomorrow (September 25) and on Monday to consider the museum’s future following the notice to quit served on the Surrey Archaeological Society (SAS), requiring it to leave by January 29 2016.

Cllr Geoff Davis (Con, Holy Trinity) the lead councillor responsible for economic development, heritage and tourism said: “The working group had another detailed meeting last week, and received two more visitors, one from the Guildford Society, to present their views.

“Two more delegates are being arranged for the next meeting. The group also hopes to receive presentations from SAS and from the Guildford Heritage Forum.

48 Quarry Street

“Much swift progress is being made, and the air is clearing. We now know formally that SAS don’t want to purchase 48 Quarry Street, so we are now working out the future of that building.”

No 48 Quarry Street currently forms part of the museum (to the left, when viewed from the front). The council has recently had it valued at £850,000 for a possible sale.

It was reported that a formal offer, without prejudice to the notice to quit already served, had been made to SAS for it to lease, possibly long-term, Castle Arch House, allowing the society to become a self-contained entity with a separate door, in the Grade I listed building. But this is denied by the SAS.

Cllr Davis said: “GBC would never have contemplated the sale of that building [Castle Arch House], despite all the conjecture. The museum now has a short list of possible relocation town centre situations, to be combined with a visitor centre.”

Emma Corke, spokesperson for the Surrey Archaeological Society, responded: “We are disappointed to infer from what Cllr Davis has said that it has been definitely decided that the museum shall move. We had hoped that that was something to be decided by the current review.

“The society at present occupies two rooms, one very small, out of the dozen or so in Castle Arch.

“I don’t understand the mention of a separate door – does this mean that the main gallery, built for the society’s collections, would not be included? With or without that gallery the building without the museum would make little sense as a base for us.

“If GBC has it in mind to lease it to us for a commercial rent and anticipates that we will then run a museum without any public funding then they expect too much from a charity that relies on volunteers to function. I am also puzzled as to what they would display in their shiny new, relocated, museum.

“What they expect is, however, a mystery to us, as they have yet to make us any kind of offer of Castle Arch.”

Castle Arch House – “GBC would never have contemplated” its sale.

Responses to Museum Review Continues – Council Would Never Sell Castle Arch House

Peta Malthouse Reply

October 13, 2015 at 12:37 pm

It appears the borough council under Mr Mansbridge’s leadership have so advanced their plans to redevelop along Quarry Street that they have already terminated the lease to the Surrey Archaeological Society. Where was the consultation on moving our precious museum and discarding the home of the Surrey Archaeological Society?

Answer.. on these time lines it should have happened before or during the election. I can’t see that it has been mentioned before this. It is not good enough to set up a working group after you have had the property, No. 48 Quarry Street, valued. There is a matter of principal to be addressed in consultation before options are considered in a working group.

Selling off the family silver cannot be the only answer.

Guildford Museum should be close to the castle… and if other venues for a “Visitor Centre” are being offered then the public should be told what they are.