Museums in Somerset
Minutes of the Autumn Group Meeting held on
Monday 10th October 2011 at the Museum of Somerset, Taunton
Present:
Colin Spackman (Chairman) and 31 members.
Apologies were received from 11 members.
Stephen Minnitt welcomed members to the newly opened Museum of Somerset. Since its opening
on 29th September, the two Saturdays have had 1500 and 1200 visitors, and daily around 500
visitors. The Museum collections were begun in 1849 by the Somerset Archaeological and Natural
History Society (SANHS), initially used as a roving museum and then displayed in temporary premises
in Taunton town centre. In 1897 Taunton Castle was for sale, and the society purchased it. 1875
saw the first museum on the site. There has been periodic museum development and extension.
The latest development cost around £7million, with support from the Heritage Lottery Fund, SANHS
and the Somerset Military Museum Trust.
The Minutes of the AGM and Spring Group Meeting (16th May 2011) were agreed and signed.
Chairman’s report: These meetings have achieved good numbers over the years, both amateur and
professional members, and are a good setting to exchange information and catch up with the
Museum Development Officer. We are all aware that the MDO’s role has been extended to March
2012, but it is currently unclear what happens after 31st March. The relationship is symbiotic – we
need Natalie and now Natalie may need us. Can museums and members do anything to support the
MDO’s position?
Treasurer’s report: There are now two categories of money, Museums in Somerset’s own funds
(£54), which can be used towards venue hire for meetings, and grants ring-fenced for Somerset
Routes (c £5,000), which will be used for website development. £5268.14 has already been paid to
Higher Sites at the start of the website project.
The next meeting will be the Winter Group Meeting, on Monday 20th February 2012, at Watchet.
Updates from regional representatives:
South West Federation of Museums and Art Galleries (Kathryn Tucker)
Since we last met, we held our AGM across 2 venues in Bristol which was very well attended. The
highlight of the morning was a panel discussion titled ‘Reasons to be Cheerful’ , where we heard
from 4 professionals from different parts of the sector all of whom contributed to a reasonably
upbeat discussion based on positivity, and this was followed by an opportunity to look around
MShed, the new museum in Bristol’s harbourside. The fact that the AGM was so well attended, I
believe, is suggestive that the Federation does provide a focal point for museums and similar
organisations throughout the region and I therefore encourage anyone who has not yet explored
what the Federation offers to do so, using the website and members of the board as starting points.
(Vicky, Helena, Natalie, myself).
At the beginning of this month, SW Fed had a presence at the Museum Association’s annual
conference via our Chair, Alison Bevan, who spoke at a session entitled ‘Last Man Standing’,
Federations of the Future. The session was designed to bring the regional federations together to
offer the opportunity for sharing experience, ideas and inspiration, and to help develop a degree of
coherence so that the federations can develop a network for themselves to help share skills, ideas
and resources throughout the country. Delegates were told that federations have a vital role to play
and discussions involved how feds might use funding from national bodies such as ACE, whether
feds should be more closely aligned to MA and what federations could do beyond training and
advocacy. I’m sure that outcomes of these discussions will be discussed in more detail at
forthcoming board meetings.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly for many of us here, I can report that the Skills Programme
has been well received as usual and we here in Somerset have benefitted from additional training
provision from the Sustainable Somerset project too. Most of the Somerset specific sessions are now
fully booked, although there are some spaces available on the ‘Practical Social Media’ day on 16
November , which is being held at Somerset heritage Centre. There is also a session here in Taunton
in January on Forward Planning, Audience Development session is in Wiltshire on 23 November and
‘How to set up a Touring Exhibition in Bath on 25/11, all of which have spaces remaining.
What would be incredibly helpful at this point is feedback; for example what has been missed that
you would have liked to see available? Would sessions on the new accreditation standard be helpful
as there have been utterings that sessions on this theme might run next year. General feedback on
the current programme would be appreciated – did it meet people’s needs? What was missing? Are
there specific reasons why you have/not booked certain sessions? Is there a general feeling that
people find it harder to attend training now because of budget and therefore operational strains at
their sites? Any feedback is welcome so feel free to approach me in the break or by e-mail or phone
at the Helicopter Museum and I will collate responses and pass it on.
Arts Council England (ACE): This has taken over the Museums Libraries and Archives Council (MLA)
role from 1st October. Last year’s forward plan was for the Arts and this is now being adapted to
include museums. ACE is taking over the money for Renaissance in the Regions, the part-funding of
MDOs and Conservation Development Officers (eg, Helena Jaeschke), and training. £43million will
be divided between major grant programmes (3-year funding for large museums), a challenge fund
and a museums development fund. Details are still to be announced. Keep looking at the SWFed
website, which has a link to the ACE website. The new accreditation standard was announced last
week at the Museums Association conference. The SWFed training programme is geared to
accreditation. The accreditation timetable has not been released yet. A new Accreditation Advisor
has been appointed, Fiona Mitchell-Innis, whose (large) geographical area includes the south-west.
Renaissance: Vic Harding (3 days per week) and Eleanor Moore are still there.
(A question was asked about whether MiS can lobby Renaissance for the MDO post. So far the
money has been paid to Somerset County Council, which employs Natalie. There should be a formal
statement from MiS to SCC about how important the MDO is to museums, especially with the
Museums in Somerset Autumn Group Meeting
Minutes Page 2
change in accreditation. It was suggestion that individual museums also write in about MDO and
Museum Development Funding, which has given us Somerset Routes.)
An email update had been received from Renaissance: There have been two Accreditation
Roadshows in the south west. 13 museums had been given Accreditation Small Grants.
Accreditation Small Grants (up to £700) are easy to apply for. Helena urges people to apply. For
guidance, liaise with Natalie and speak to Sophie Ainsworth (Museum Development Assistant)
sophie.ainsworth@bristol.gov.uk , tel. 0117 922 4653.
N.B. IDENTIFY A SPECIFIC AREA FOR IMPROVEMENT!
Six Museum Development Fund Activity Grants have been awarded, including one to Somerset. ACE
held a south west regional briefing in September. A Regional Photographer has been/will be
appointed as a shared resource, to produce high quality images to promote cultural tourism.
Anyone using the Regional Photographer should ensure that their museum gets usable images and
copyright. SWFed’s training contract has been extended to cover accreditation.
Somerset Routes Website (Adam Sharpe, Higher Sites)
With the £17,000 awarded to extend the Somerset Routes brand, Natalie and the Standing
Committee have commissioned a joint website for all the heritage sites in Somerset. It will be
mobile-friendly and will link into social networks such as Facebook. Visitors will be invited to engage
with the website, sending photographs and comments.
Adam presented Wireframes (concept designs ) for the website and invited comments from
members. The Somerset Routes map will be interactive, so that users can zoom in and pick a site.
Individual museum pages will have links to the museum’s own website (if it has one). For museums
without a website, their site page will act as their website. The members were keen to see a
geographical map available, with colour-coded site pins to tie in with the route lines. One person in
each museum has been asked to complete an on-line form for its entry. This is a good time for
suggestions, as content and appearance are not yet firmly fixed. There was concern that sites would
be listed in alphabetical order. On alternative suggestion was to list by distance from nearest town
or from user’s start point.
Visitor feedback will be moderated by the MiS committee members before appearing on the
website. Members asked for comments to be fed to museums, giving a possibility for reply. It will
not be easy to add or remove sites, but ‘deleted’ sites will have an entry indicating closure.
Additional sites could be added to the geographical Google map. It will be important to keep the
site up to date, so annual updates will be sought for (eg) opening times, admission prices. If
information is not submitted by a deadline, the missing information will be replaced by ‘CONTACT
MUSEUM’. The site profile page will have a ‘last updated’ date.
The launch will be held back till the opening of next season, rather than launch when many
museums have just closed for the winter. A working version of the website will be brought to the
February MiS meeting. The booklet will still be available, and if funding is available there may be
reprints. The website will allow the booklet to be downloaded.
Museums in Somerset Autumn Group Meeting
Minutes Page 3
Sonja Power (NT) told members that the National Trust this year has found the proportion of visitors
prompted to visit by using NT brochure or handbook V website reversed, so that 60% now use the
Internet when planning a visit.
Natalie made a plea to members to send electronic data to her as soon as possible, and to include
some good images.
Museum Development Officer’s report (Natalie Watson)
Somerset Routes - Funding is in place for hosting the Somerset Routes website till 2016. After that,
each site may have to contribute an amount such as £10 per annum.
Sustainable Somerset Museums – Social media training is still available. On-line fact sheets from
last year’s project are available on the SWFed website.
Somerset Routes Exhibition opens on 12th November at the Rural Life Museum with 31 different
museum taking part. Objects will be taken to the RLM of the Somerset Heritage Centre 17th-21st
October. They need a Condition Form and an Entry Form.
MDO newsletter – next edition due at the beginning of November.
Reports from museums
Community Heritage Access Centre, South Somerset District Council
The One Show have been filming at the Community Heritage Access Centre, doing a piece on
gloving. We have been informed that this will be shown shortly on BBC1 at 7pm.
We thank the diligence of a curator, Ed Purvis at the National Army Museum, which has enabled the
medals of Sir Charles Knight Pearson to be returned to Yeovil for the first time since they were
donated to us in 1979. The original museum that they were loaned to was in Kent and that shut
down around 2001. We also thank volunteer Stephen Bartlett for collecting them for us on our
behalf and we hope to display them at some point in the future, somewhere in the town.
Tanya Camberwell has left us to start a new job at the Holnicote Estate as Learning and Outreach
officer.
If anyone has any queries with pest traps, we have discovered an eminent biologist amongst our
volunteer team who has a special interest in insects.
We have been continuing with outreach requests even though we do not have an outreach officer.
We hope to continue to support the Community Museums in South Somerset.
Volunteers are meeting with management concerning the setting up of a Trust for the collection.
Ilchester Museum
The museum closed at the end of September, with visitor numbers up on last year. In July, the
museum held a Heritage Day at the Ilchester Street Fair, attracting many visitors. (A big thank you to
CHAC for the gloving exhibits!) We are looking at possible redecorating the museum. It is at present
a rather dull brown! Since this was the colour it was originally decorated over twenty years ago, it is
due a change.
Museums in Somerset Autumn Group Meeting
Minutes Page 4
Although we are closed from September until Easter, we continue to make use of our window which
has a prominent place in the High Street. We also make it available for other organisations, such as
the Britsh Legion for the Poppy Appeal.
Rural Life Museum, Glastonbury
We were delighted to hear at the end of June that our Round 1 Heritage Lottery Fund Application for
the Somerset Museum of Rural Life Project had been given approval. We have been awarded
£51,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund to develop the project to the next stage and this work will
commence in the New Year. We have 2 years in which to complete a Round 2 Heritage Lottery Fund
application, which if successful will secure £675,000 towards the project. We will need to raise a
further £700,000 match funding from other grant giving bodies, partners and through public
fundraising to meet the total £1.4 million project costs.
We have had a busy summer although visitor numbers are lower than last year. The World War II
themed day on Saturday 13th August proved a success with just short of 700 visitors attending on the
day. We are very grateful to all the members of Museums in Somerset who took part on the day.
Our current exhibition ‘Good Impressions’ by local members of Print South West opened on the 10th
September and will run until the 5th November and will be followed by ‘Somerset Routes II ‘ which
features objects from Community Museums across Somerset.
Milverton Village Archive
Indexing of the collection has come to a temporary halt, as the remainder of the collection is still not
accessible, which is a concern as it is stored in adverse conditions. Much use has been made of the
charity documents by researchers of family history. The archive has been asked to provide material
for the Queen’s jubilee exhibition to be held in the village next year.
Coker Rope and Sail Trust
Dawes Twineworks continues to open to the public on the fourth Saturday of every month. Usually
several visitors call in. Two weeks ago a class from the local primary school visited, and the children
then brought their parents along on the Saturday. Several historical societies from the area have
asked to be shown around the Twineworks. Not only have they made financial contributions as
thanks for the tours, but they have made donations of items that were linked to the project, map
plans and objects used at the Twineworks.
An application to the Architectural Heritage Fund for financial help to complete the restoration
project has been successful, with the full bid amount allotted. The Carpenters’ Fellowship has been
asked to replace the major supporting timbers and to organise an NVQ Level 3 course for young
people wanting to gain a qualification for working with large timbers. There is still a long way to go,
but the AHF, using English Heritage’s and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s money has provided the financial
resource for full restoration.
Chard Museum
18 months ago we thought there was no future for small independent museums without LA funding
but we are pleased to say that Chard Museum has succeeded in covering its operating costs this
season and is anticipating ending this final month of 2010 in the black even had it not had any LA
Museums in Somerset Autumn Group Meeting
Minutes Page 5
grants. Our supporters have been very generous, a few especially so, but we had to put on several
special events to enable and encourage them to be so. Examples include Museums at Night and
Heritage Open Days. However visitor attendances at those events were disappointing perhaps
because of the dismal weather. In fact total visitor numbers are well down compared with 2010 but
which was a relatively good one to beat.
To operate such a business model, though, places a heavy burden on just a few unpaid volunteer
trustees who are not sure they can continue that way on a regular basis.
Somerset Military Museum
This is part of the Museum of Somerset. The ceiling shows the motif of a Union Flag and the layout
of cases mirrors this. The theme of the first section is, ‘Why we serve’ - both historically and why
youngsters TODAY want to serve. It also features a film of recent accounts from Afghanistan.
The museum trustees thank the Somerset Heritage Service team for all their help.
Westonzoyland Engine Trust
After a significant fall in the first half of the year, this was compensated for by our special event in
June to celebrate the 150th birthday of the ‘Easton and Amos’ engine, which was attended by over
350 people, resulting in an on-par performance for the year. There was also a good attendance for
the free national Heritage Open Day in September.
Fleet Air Arm Museum
Unusually, there are two art exhibitions running. The first, ‘Operation Chameleon’ by Jon England, is
part of Somerset Arts Weeks but runs until December 16th. It takes the form of an installation round
a WW2 fighter aircraft. The second runs from October 17th to January 2012, and is the product of
RNAS Yeovilton’s Artist in Residence, Paul Branson, who painted scenes on the air base over the last
calendar year – its 70th anniversary.
Half term will be busy, with a Model Day on 22nd October, ‘Spies and Special Operations’ family
activities and a reserve collections Open Day on Thursday 27th.
2011 has been a difficult year, with visitor number down 13%, and a downturn in spend in both shop
and restaurant.
Bishop’s Lydeard Mill and Rural Life Museum
The museum closed at the end of September. Now is the time to prepare the garden for a gyspy
caravan, a French wagon and a shepherd’s hut. Work inside is planned for the worse weather.
Income is down, but the hope is that £9,000 will be given to charity. There are a few extra
volunteers.
Please note that during the closed season members of Museums in Somerset will still be welcome.
Somerset Heritage & Library Service
The Learning team has just reviewed outreach over the three and a half closed years. They have
served 13,000 children in 633 school sessions. Within the community, 53,000 have attended 898
Museums in Somerset Autumn Group Meeting
Minutes Page 6
events. The new challenge is to maintain connections out there and to bring people into the new
centre.
Somerset Brick and Tile Museum
Visitor numbers for last year have more than doubled – largely due to school and family activities.
There has been positive feedback from local families. During October, the scaffolders will move in
ready for the reroofing of the viewing gallery.
Axbridge Museum, King John’s Hunting Lodge
Numbers are down dramatically. A £2.50 charge has been introduced. The building is National
Trust, and many visitors are NT members, but do not get in free – so often walk away. However,
entrance fees for this year exceed donations and sales for last year. The challenge is to get people
through the door.
A new acquisition is a 1904 scrapbook, and an exhibition is planned around this.
Accreditation renewal is due. This is a big job for a small museum, especially as there is no longer a
District Museums Officer.
Weston super Mare Museum
Visitor numbers are down. A flood in August damaged the building but fortunately not the
collections. Volunteer recruitment has been good. There is a Cecil Sharp-related exhibition. The
museum is open Monday to Saturday throughout the winter.
Watchet Market House
Watchet Market House Museum has enjoyed a steady season with approximately 36000 visitors.
This is down on last year’s exceptionally high figures. As a result total donations are down but the
average per person is still about 29p. Sales however are up, due in part to us offering a more diverse
range of goods, e.g., besides new book titles we have offered CDs and DVDs all with a local
connection.
Our Take One exhibition in June was a great success and partly as a result we are looking to set up a
junior members’section in conjunction with the local primary school which featured in the Take One
exhibition. We are grateful to Natalie for all her help with the project. Next week, Oct 18th, we have
a large group of school children from Staplegrove visiting by train, dressed as evacuees. We hope to
welcome them with the Town Crier and an actual evacuee at the museum to answer their questions.
Through the winter we hope to introduce a new display about the local paper mill, paper having
been made in Watchet for over 300 years. We are also looking, with the Watchet Conservation
Society, at new evidence discovered recently about the origins and location of the medieval harbour
of Watchet, which appears to have been situated in the actual Washford River entrance and
upstream.
Cataloguing of all our maps, drawings and documents is also a priority as we have some damp
problems and hopefully with the help of the MLA grants targeting maintaining accreditation
standards we can achieve this.
Details of our winter talks programme is on our web site : www.watchetmuseum.co.uk
Museums in Somerset Autumn Group Meeting
Minutes Page 7
Watchet Boat Museum
We now have grand total of nine volunteers allowing the museum to be open seven days a week
from Easter to September. Unfortunately the volunteer engineer who hoped to renovate our 1900
rope machine has fallen prey to demands of full-time work so the project has gone into sleep mode.
At our late July Extravaganza week-end we had two excellent pirate story tellers, shanty singing
group, skipping rope making and a local Punch and Judy group of events. This was part funded by
ArtLife and Town Council. The week-end was part of the whole week Watchet Summertime
entertainment that was acclaimed as a great success.
I have frequently been asked how the museum is doing. I have a table of figures. How should I
present the answer? Total visitors at 5900 is up on last year but still down on two years ago despite
being open much longer. But total income is down a little and average income per visitor is well
down. Obviously total number of visitors is the prime interest but hopeless if there are diminishing
funds.
Somerset Cricket Museum
We have had a good summer, despite, or perhaps, because of, the poor weather. Visitor numbers
have held up and book sales have gone really well. Membership has held up, too: members have
been happy to renew their subscriptions even though they know about the generous legacy received
two years ago.
We have appointed two new trustees, in place of those whom we have sadly lost in the last year or
two. Work on the computerisation of our collection and on the Lockyer archive of cricket photos has
been put on hold while we have been preparing for the major refurbishment which the legacy has
made possible. The selection of Lockyer photos which we had planned to publish in time for
Christmas will now appear later.
Throughout the summer, we have held meetings with our architects, museum designers, some of
their sub-contractors and also with archaeologists, in order to agree plans for the re-furbishment. As
soon as the domestic cricket season ended, the week before last, we packed up the collection and
put it into storage, mainly in our offices at the County Cricket Ground. Last week, the contractors
moved in and work began.
We have had to abandon the idea of putting in a lift to the mezzanine floors but we shall have an
area dedicated to video displays and some inter-active elements in the collection. This is an exciting
project, which we shall monitor closely over the winter in the hope that it will be completed in time
for a grand re-opening at the beginning of the next cricket season. At the same time, we shall review
our collection, dispense with any object which appears tired or irrelevant and bring forward more
interesting objects for which we have not found room in the past. Next summer, our mediaeval barn
will have been transformed, our collection will have a fresher look and we hope that the museum
will have a wider appeal; but our benefactors would not want us to change the spirit of the place
and that we shall not do.
Conservation Development Officer, Helena Jaeschke
The central purchasing scheme will be placing orders shortly. A shopping list will be distributed to
members via Natalie Watson.
Museums in Somerset Autumn Group Meeting
Minutes Page 8
Forthcoming training: three days on caring for metals (inc. 2nd November at Coldharbour Mill);
18th November, Lyme Regis, Introduction to Collections Care.
For information, Helena will be working away throughout December and will not be contactable.
Helicopter Museum
There was a successful movie themed event in July. Cataloguing is proceeding well. A Modes
training session is coming up – contact Kathryn if you wish to join in. Talks are continuing with
adjacent landowners, and the Museum is hoping to get some extra land.
National Trust, South Somerset properties
The houses are closing soon ready for the winter conservation clean. There is a new general
manager.
Montacute House has benefitted from a specific bequest from a former volunteer. A portrait of
James I & VI has been purchased and there is enough money to conserve it, too. This is appropriate,
as the monarch had a good link to Montacute.
Next season Barrington Court will be installing a new exhibition by Anthony Gormley- lots of tiny
figures – on display from end April to end of August 2012.
Wellington Museum
Visitor numbers are well up on last year and may reach 3,000 – the highest for 8 years. The rise is
due in part to a crude but effective A-board stating that entry is FREE.
Visitor donations have increased to around 25p per visitor – double the amount in recent years. We
think this is, in part, due to a small – 8” x 6” – colourful notice in the middle of a display panel. The
wording on the notice is:
‘Running this museum costs £1 per visitor. Your contribution is most welcome.’
Now we need to make the donations box more prominent so that visitors don’t have to ask where it
is!
Museum object news: there are four Wellington objects at the Museum of Somerset, and the
photograph of the Armada Chest appears at HSBC cashpoints.
Coleridge Cottage NT
This has been transformed and reopened in September. An inglenook has been revealed. There is
light-touch interpretation. Tom Mayberry urges visiting.
Minehead is hoping to open a museum.
Alfred Gillett Trust
The building project for a new archive/museum store is progressing well and is due for completion
during Dec 2011, along with the conversion of the adjacent Grange building as a public space. We
plan to start relocating the museum and archive collections during spring 2012 and hope to
participate in the Mendip Rocks project during Feb-Mar to showcase our collection of fossils in their
Museums in Somerset Autumn Group Meeting
Minutes Page 9
new permanent home (first time on display for many years). We are also planning some major
digitisation projects of our historic shoe and film collections, with support from C&J Clark Ltd. This
work will include the purchase of new collection management software and we are currently
investigating the options available. We are fortunate in that we hope to recruit a graduate heritage
trainee and to bump up our existing archive assistant post to full time through a job share. The
current Shoe Museum administrator (employed through Clarks) is leaving and we hope to replace
her with a curatorial position, subject to funding.
Bishop’s Palace
Exhibition
Design meetings for the ‘Treasure’ exhibition are happening on a monthly basis with our consultants
Kate Rambridge and Henry Lindsay.
A poster has been professionally designed to send out to parishes to thank and update them about
the project.
Pam Walker has agreed to work on a new list/database, detailing all the Bishops Palace linked items
in national collections, which will be useful for future exhibitions.
Valerie Pitt is working on the diocesan ‘Treasures’ database.
Felicity and Gill have been working on the Diocesan Advisory Committee application for the faculty
(to allow the loans in the churches to be moved for the exhibition), this has now been submitted.
Alan Thomas (Architect) is busy working on the security alarm specifications, and fire alarm
improvements, which is all useful information we need to provide to the lenders.
Palace collection
Felicity had a meeting with Natalie Watson (Somerset Museum Development Officer), along with the
Bishop’s wife Dee, and Sarah, (Our General Manager) to start defining an Acquisitions and Disposal
policy for the Bishops Palace, as part of becoming an Accredited Museum.
Stuart has done a fantastic job of liaising with the builders re the building work in the north wing and
Undercroft to plan for the protection and movement of the Palace collection. He has also carefully
wrapped and packed all the affected items in the attic.
Stuart has also continued to do a fantastic job with the pest monitoring, picking up that we recently
had a ‘cigarette beetle’ in the East Gallery, as well as checking the condition of various items in the
collection. He has also found examples of silverfish and a moth.
The Palace is loaning a watercolour to the Somerset Routes exhibition, which will be held at the
Rural Life Museum in Glastonbury from 12th November onwards.
The meeting broke for lunch and reconvened at 14.00 for a tour of the new Museum of Somerset.
Members returned to the meeting at 15.30 to discuss some insurance issues.
Chard Museum posed the question, ‘How does a museum claim for a lost artefact?’ This involves an
insurance valuation, and these cost money.
Watchet Boat Museum raised the issue of public liability insurance for volunteers. The rope-making
machine is has a ‘working away’ exclusion, though the museum was assured verbally that it was
covered when used at the Rural Life Museum.
Chard asked about contents and display cases.
Helena told members that for contents, they should be thinking in terms of making good and
recovery rather than replacement. Museums must balance how much they are prepared to pay for
Museums in Somerset Autumn Group Meeting
Minutes Page
10
insurance against the cost of recovering from soot and flood damage. There is a scheme which
members may wish to consider:
HDRS – Harwell Document Recovery System – cost circa £10 per museum per annum.
Wellington Museum has public liability, but not buildings insurance as the building is sub-let. There
is no contents insurance, but money has been banked instead to cover recovery costs or purchase of
items.
Westonzoyland Engine Trust has not insured contents. The heavy machinery is resilient while also
being irreplaceable. The building is Grade II listed and insured for £1 million – the risk is boiler fire.
The insurance premium is £2600 per annum, with Ecclesiatical through brokers WPS.
Ilchester Museum has contents insurance for borrowed items.
Bishop’s Lydeard Mill pays £530 per annum for £10 million public liability, £5 million contents, £5
million for volunteers, but not the building. Insured through Barbican.
Watchet Market House’s building is leased, the museum does not insure. The statues on the
Esplanade are insured, and some important paintings which have been valued, along with specific
named objects worth valuing.
Chard has the Town Charter , which is irreplaceable. Helena urged insuring for recovery and
restocking. Take good photographs and make a good replica – this can be done on insurance –
‘replication cost’.
Coker Rope and Sail Trust suggested that as Parish and Town Councils can get group insurance, it
may be possible to get group museum insurance.
Zurich was suggested – Chard Museum may be able to get a quote from Zurich.
IS THERE A BROKER WHO SPECIALISES IN MUSEUMS? Suggestions welcome.
(The insurance theme will be continued at a future meeting.)
The meeting closed at 16.00.
Apologies for absence were received from:
Alfred Gillett Trust
Bishop’s Palace
Coker Rope Trust
Finds Liaison Officer (Somerset)
Frome Museum
Ilchester Museum
National Trust
Somerset & Dorset Railway Trust
Taunton School Archive
Washford Radio Museum
Museums in Somerset Autumn Group Meeting
Richard de Payer
Charlotte Berry
Felicity Baber
Ross Aitken
Laura Burnett
Alan Davis
Ros Marsh
Barbara Wood
Robin Pearson
Alison Mason
Neil Wilson
Minutes Page
11
Members present:
Museum/organisation
Axbridge Museum
Bishops Lydeard Mill
CHAC
Chard Museum
Coker Rope & Sail Trust
Conservation Development Officer SW
Fleet Air Arm Museum
Helicopter Museum
Ilchester Museum
Milverton Village Archive
Montacute House NT
Museums in Somerset Committee
Rural Life Museum
Somerset Brick and Tile Museum
Somerset Cricket Museum
Somerset Heritage and Libraries Service
Somerset Military Museum
Washford Radio Museum
Watchet Boat Museum
Watchet Market House Museum
Wellington Museum
Weston-super-Mare Museum
Westonzoyland Engine Trust
Museums in Somerset Autumn Group Meeting
Name
John Page
Yvonne Back
Joseph Lewis
David Ricketts
Dee & Peter Manley
Marilyn & Angus McPhee
Helena Jaeschke
Barbara Gilbert
David Hill
Kathryn Tucker
Gerry Masters
Nigel Wood
Sonja Power
Vicky Dawson
Estelle Gilbert
Paul Wilson
Louise Perrin
Peter Wallis
Helen Mansfield
Tom Mayberry
Stephen Minnitt
Natalie Watson (Museums Development Officer)
Mike Motum
Neil Wilson
Bruce Scott
Jim Nicholas
Keith Sullivan
Colin Spackman
Malcom Nicholson
John Trenchard
Minutes Page
12