Museums and heritage

Longrunning strike action at National Museums Liverpool (NML) has ended after museum workers accepted an improved pay offer.

The Museums Association reports more than 60 days of strike action occurred in a dispute over a cost-of-living payment.

NML had said its staff were not eligible for the award, but the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) Union’s members argued that the institution should make the payment as it is funded by the central government and part of the civil service pensions scheme. 

The two parties have now agreed on a deal in which staff will receive a £1,200 one-off payment, two extra days of annual leave, and a 35% discount in NML shops and cafes.

An out-of-hours, behind-the-scenes tour of the British Museum has launched for groups of up to eight at a cost of £79 per person.

Operated by Bloomsbury Hotel Montague on the Gardens and only available to its guests, the Conflict and Conservation tour focuses on the museum’s operation during World War Two. Attendees are granted access to the museum and some non-public areas with a guide for an hour before it opens to the general public.

The move is part of a broader trend for cultural sites to offer exclusive out-of-hours access for those willing to pay a premium. Often operated privately, the tours can provide a lucrative source of income, particularly to institutions like the British Museum, where access is usually free.

In April, the Greek Culture Ministry proposed introducing private visits to the Acropolis and the Parthenon two hours before and after regular opening hours.

Costing €5,000 for a group of five, the Hellenic Organisation of Cultural Resources Development estimated that the initiative could raise up to €40,000 a day to support and protect cultural sites.

Derbyshire County Council’s plan to sell the buildings that house Buxton Museum & Art Gallery have caused concern among local campaigners, who fear the institution will be scrapped entirely as the local authority attempts to plug a £33m budget deficit.

Located in the historic Peak Buildings complex since 1928, the council-run museum closed suddenly in June 2023 after structural issues related to dry rot were discovered.

The local authority co-funded a significant refurbishment of the building in 2017 along with the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Arts Council England, the Bingham Trust, the Wolfson Foundation, and the Paul Mellon Centre.

However, the council say the building is no longer viable due to “the potential costs and length of time which could be needed for us to bring the building back into use as a modern-day museum”.

Council Leader Barry Lewis said that the council had been left with “no choice” but to “reluctantly relocate” the museum and art gallery following ongoing building assessments, adding that work to move all artefacts would begin immediately, following which the building will be put up for sale.

“It would be far better for the building and town if the building was sold to a buyer who could invest in it and bring it back up to a high standard,” continued Lewis.

“This would be out of our reach as a local authority, and this way, we would be able to retain the sale price and re-invest in the museum when we find a new and appropriate location.”

He said the council remains “fully committed” to supporting the museum and its future in Buxton and that plans are being developed to display the collections locally in the interim period before a permanent home is found.

Despite Lewis’ assurance, residents have launched a campaign to save the museum. 

Supporters are concerned that the council has already cut or fully withdrawn funding to other heritage services to save money and are preparing to demonstrate outside the building on 8 June.

A statement from the campaigners to Museums Association said: “The lack of information has raised questions and fears that Buxton Museum & Art Gallery as we know it will be significantly reduced or scrapped altogether.

“This event [on 8 June] reflects concerns that the closure, coinciding with Derbyshire County Council's significant budget deficit and subsequent spending freeze in September 2023, will make it particularly challenging to resolve.

"The public event aims to highlight the scale of passion that the local community feel for Buxton Museum & Art Gallery and the valuable contribution that it has made to education, tourism, and cultural expression over the years.”

The FBI is investigating the whereabouts of hundreds of artefacts missing from the British Museum.

Some of the missing ancient gems, jewellery and other items have been traced to the USA. A buyer in New Orleans, who is no longer in possession of any items, told the BBC the FBI had been in contact asking for information about two pieces he bought on eBay.

The British Museum says that of 1,500 items estimated to have been stolen or missing, more than 600 have been bought back and a further 100 have been located. According to the BBC’s report, the US law enforcement agency has assisted in returning 268 items that were sold to a collector in Washington DC.

Senior curator Peter Higgs, has been accused by the museum of stealing, damaging and selling ancient artefacts. A court case is currently ongoing. Higgs, who has been dismissed from his role at the museum, denies the allegations.

The BBC’s latest investigation suggests artefacts could have also been sold in other countries. Danish antiquities dealer Ittai Gradel, who first alerted the museum to thefts, has tracked down artefacts that were sold to buyers in Hamburg, Cologne, Paris and Hong Kong.

Two women in their 80s have been charged with criminal damage after the glass around the Magna Carta at the British Library was attacked, the Metropolitan Police have said.

The Guardian reports that the Rev Sue Parfitt, 82, from Bristol, and Judith Bruce, 85, from Swansea, were arrested last Friday morning (10 May).

The British Library said its security team intervened to prevent further damage to the case, and the “Magna Carta itself remains undamaged”.

The gallery housing the display is closed until further notice, it added.

The two women have been released on bail and are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates Court on 20 June.
 

A scheme to renovate an Isles of Scilly building and turn it into a museum has secured an additional £3.4m in funding.

The project, led by the Council of the Isles of Scilly and the Isles of Scilly Museum Association, aims to restore and extend the Grade II-listed St Mary's Town Hall and turn it into a museum and cultural centre.

The latest money, which comes from a programme managed by Cornwall Council funded by the UK government's shared Prosperity Fund, means the project is fully funded, with a total of £15.7m now raised.

Cornwall Council said the cultural centre and museum would provide a "much-needed" indoor venue for cinema, theatre and live music performances.

Louis Gardner, Cornwall Council's Portfolio Holder for Economy, said: "Once complete, it will create an enduring social and economic legacy for the islands while celebrating their unique culture and heritage."

Museum workers in Liverpool will take part in 30 days of strikes over the summer as part of an ongoing dispute over pay.

The BBC reports that walkouts by members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union will affect National Museums Liverpool (NML) sites from next month.

A total of 56 days of action have already taken place in a dispute over a cost-of-living payment.

The PCS union says NML is the only government employer not to pay its staff an agreed-upon £1,500 cost-of-living payment. 

However, Laura Pye, Director of NML, recently claimed that 10 out of 15 National Museums services could not fulfil the payment.

An offer by NML for a £750 one-off non-consolidated payment, an increase in annual leave to 30 days plus Bank Holidays alongside other measures, was previously rejected.

The Museum of Liverpool, the World Museum, the International Slavery Museum, the Maritime Museum, the Walker Gallery, and Sudley House are among the sites affected.

PCS General Secretary Fran Heathcote said members love their jobs but "are angry and feel undervalued".