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Barnet petition
Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2012 6:44 pm
by Nigel
Anyone know anything about this?
http://petitions.barnet.gov.uk/museum-auction/#detail
Seems a pretty miserable situation. Worth runnning a story tomorrow?
Re: Barnet petition
Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2012 9:10 pm
by AlanS
Sorry, only just seen this. Must set up a watch alert for this forum'
Barnet is/was my local museum. The local Tory Council are in the process of selling off anything and everything they can, and closed the museum, set in a wonderful old farm house, last year. At the time, several items from the museum were retrieved from a skip! Basically, they want to sell the property to developers. As the building is listed, they've basically left it to rot so demolition will be cheaper and more desirable than renovation.
For the full, sad story of what's going on here in Barnet, google the term 'broken Barnet'. There are several local bloggers uncovering all sorts of shenanigans by the council.
A local library has recently been closed - the ground plot would make for a good block of flats - but squatters have moved in and opened it as a community library and resource again. They are also threatening to do the same to the museum in Hendon.
The only museum left in Barnet is a tiny, volunteer-run effort, but the Council are looking to get their hands on that building too. Lots of mentions of Barnet in the Heritage Crime group on Facebook.
Re: Barnet petition
Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2012 12:59 pm
by AlanS
Draft article now ready for proofing and publishment (new word!) when agreed.
Re: Barnet petition
Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2012 7:23 am
by Nigel
I see there's still a year to go on the petition Alan so Ive amended the draft accordingly. Also Ive added mention of a third museum (Stamford) which is one of my hobby horses. Hope thats OK.
Re: Barnet petition
Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2012 7:53 am
by AlanS
Stamford! Good find! When I first read the Barnet petition, I thought it closed last Friday, which I thought was a bit soon. Although, as the auction is planned for October this year, I suspect the expiry date is a default one of a year, so it's important people sign up fast.
Are we publishing that today instead of C&B, or leaving it for Monday?
Re: Barnet petition
Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2012 8:31 am
by Nigel
Cheers and Boos can wait. And Sandy has an article for tomorrow so I'd say put it up now.
Re: Barnet petition
Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2012 9:29 am
by juamei
http://www.barnet-today.co.uk/news.cfm?id=33885
COUNCIL chiefs have been labelled “philistines” after the authority revealed plans to auction off exhibits from the former Church Farmhouse Museum.
Bosses at Barnet Museum, in Wood Street, Barnet, have accused the council of betraying people’s trust by selling off hundreds of items donated to the museum by residents.
Church Farmhouse, in Greyhound Hill, Hendon, closed in March last year after the council halted its funding.
Exhibits taken from the museum are due to be auctioned off next month.
Barnet Museum archivist Dr Gillian Gear said she was “disappointed” that she had not been given the opportunity to claim more items from the axed museum before they were sent away for auction.
“We have collected our own stuff and a very limited number of domestic items,” she told The Press. “But I was advised
by the council that everything else was spoken for and found a good home.
“I didn’t realise it was going to be sold off and not remain in Barnet. I’m very disappointed. It is a bad sign if people cannot trust a local council.”
Dr Gear accused the council of
showing a lack of respect for the
borough’s history.
“Philistines is not a very kind word but there are people in the council who are philistines,” she said.
Betty Roycroft, 86, of New Way,
Colindale, who donated a recipe book written by her grandmother in 1880, is afraid that the Victorian artefact will be lost forever.
She said: “If the museum is not going to keep it, I would quite like to have it back or passed on to the Barnet Museum.
“I know they had to do something with the items but it could have been done much more sensitively.”
A council spokeswoman said that many items from Church Farmhouse had been donated to other museums and collections, and those sent to auction were not of historical importance. She said: “Exhibits of local importance have been retained by the council in the
borough’s archives at Hendon Library.
“Material loaned to the museum has been returned to the appropriate people.
“The council will also do its best to answer any questions people may have about specific objects.”
Email:
daniel.obrien@nlhnews.co.uk
Re: Barnet petition
Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2012 11:06 am
by Nigel
"those sent to auction were not of historical importance"
Hmmm.
Paul Barford has picked up on our article
http://paul-barford.blogspot.co.uk/2012 ... arket.html