Work begins as beloved Westbury Manor Museum is forced to close

It comes after funding to subside Westbury Manor Museum was axed by Hampshire County Council, forcing strategic review by Hampshire Cultural Trust which runs it. It is one of five venues being forced to close as a result of the funding problems.

Hampshire Cultural Trust, which runs the museum, said the impact of Covid together with the cost-of-living crisis and high inflation means the West Street museum makes a significant loss and it will close to the public on November 4.

It is now only open three days a week on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays from 10am to 2pm, so moving out work can be completed in time. The large and iconic Strawberry Cart, stemming from the strawberry production legacy of Westbury Manor, will be moved to Milestones Museum in Basingstoke as part of Hampshire’s social history collection.

Westbury Manor Museum belongs to Fareham Borough Council but the displays inside it are part of the Hampshire County Council museum collections that are looked after by Hampshire Cultural Trust. Hoardings will go up to keep the building secure as it is unknown how long it will take Savills to find a new tenant to lease the central two-floor building.

To relocate it is a huge task, a council officer told a meeting of Fareham Borough Council: “It is a big job and requires windows being removed and scaffolding.”

Work on moving the collections and exhibits to Chilcomb House in Winchester, where the collections will be stored, once cleaned and documented, has started and needs to be finished by December 31.

A home needs to be found for the local history resource folders that have been collected over the years, the council officer said. Ideally, it should be somewhere in Fareham for easy access to the public. The ground floor, cafe, shop, resource area and museum gardens remain open to the public.

Councillor Roger Bird said it had been previously mooted as an ideal place for a registry office because of its beautiful gardens for wedding pictures and ample space inside the venue.

Councillor Pamela Bryant, present in the public gallery, updated members on her talks with Hampshire County Council about the use of the museum for citizenship ceremonies and weddings. However, she said the county council’s funds were restricted, referring to its £175 million budget shortfall.

She said: “It would be a good location for an upmarket type of restaurant that might be interested in taking over the venue with a licence for weddings.”

The current registry office at Osborn Road South is owned by the county council and she said it’s pleasant enough for weddings but not big enough. She is also involved in citizenship ceremonies that are limited to nine per session due to the size of the venue.