Fareham museum earmarked for early 2025 closure
By Connor Steel
HAMPSHIRE CULTURAL TRUCT (HCT) have confirmed that Westbury Manor Museum is due for a permanent closure to the public from early 2025 as they outlined their outcomes of an “annual strategy review” on Monday morning; which will currently lead to the closures of four fellow museums / art centres as a result of “local authority funding challenges”.
The trust are due to withdraw funding to the museum based in Fareham Town Centre and have given the local borough councillors notice of the current intention, with this update being shared to the staff and volunteers in a meeting held on Monday. Emails were furthermore sent out to those who didn’t attend and social media was reflected to dispel rumours.
Westbury Manor Museum joins a short list of venues earmarked for ‘closure’ including Ashcroft Arts Centre in Fareham, Eastleigh Museum, Andover Museum and Curtis Museum based in Alton. The closures should begin later this year with the final date being in early 2026 whilst Bursledon Windmill is due to be shut in two months time as previously planned.
It follows a year in which Hampshire Cultural Trust have seen big reductions to funding provided by the local authorities and the closure of Westbury Manor Museum could be damaging for the Borough Council. It often gets high numbers of visitors and is seen as an “asset” to the town centre, which will continue to develop with Fareham Live opening in 2024.
County councillors have reportedly been asked to save ‘£132 million’ in costs by April 2025 according to a report on the BBC website; the Tory-led council stated to be under a “immense pressure”. Services such as ‘waste’ and for homeless people are also at risk; whilst reducing road repairs, gritting, grant spending and street light times are still ‘under threat’.
The museum is due to be handed back to the council and thus prematurely ends an “10-year management agreement” that was put into place in 2016. This saw a council investment of £448,000 into site refurbishments in lieu of the annual subsidy with the HCT agreeing to ensure a “vibrant and viable” addition for the town centre but extra funding is needed.
Council Leader Sean Woodward stated the council wasn’t currently in a place to “further subsidise the HCT” and added that this was “disappointing news for Fareham as the ten-year agreement was signed in good faith”. But he did not fully rule out an intervention as he said “future of the building will now be considered” as part of the council’s ongoing works.
Westbury Manor Museum offers all visitors a chance to explore stories about people, heritage and the industrial past of Fareham, having been a former home to six Admirals of the fleet. The Grade Two listed building further has a Café and has great access to public transport links in the area with further information including its opening hours available here.
PICTURED BY CHRISTOPHER STEEL: Westbury Manor Museum may close by early 2025 after HCT announcement.
