WESTBURY Museum had an unintended break at the end of November after concerns grew about water damage to the ceiling of the room housing its historic exhibits at the Westbury Library.
Library staff and museum volunteers had reported the damage which they say seems to have been caused by heavy rain seeping off a flat roof and into the side cornice of the high-ceilinged room.
Exhibits and cabinets were quickly covered in dust sheets while the museum closed for two days allowing Wiltshire Council contractors to explore the damage.
“We were really worried but luckily we were back in action just three days later so we are very grateful for the quick response especially as we had just starting selling Christmas cards and gifts,” said Sally Hendry, chair of the town’s heritage society.
Cllr Ian Blair-Pilling, cabinet member for libraries at Wiltshire Council, said, “We investigated an enlarging crack in the plasterwork in the museum wall on Tuesday 21st November. As a precaution and in case there was damage to the ceiling, we advised the museum to move their exhibits and temporarily close as a precaution.
“On Friday 24th, after the structure was made safe, the museum exhibits were moved back in and reopened. The rest of the library was unaffected. Works to investigate the full scale of the issue are ongoing. Full costs and timescales will be identified in due course as we take a holistic approach to the problem.”
The museum is now decorated for Christmas with a tree, Christmas colourings for children and a wide variety of gifts and cards. There is also an exhibition about Christmases past explaining the seasonal traditions.
The museum is now adorned with two large safety props as an interim measure until repair work can be done on the important Grade 2 listed building which has belonged to the county council since the early 1970s. The building dates from the early 1800s and has been the home of many prominent townspeople including Abraham Laverton and William Matravers. The heritage society pays rent for the use of the museum room and storage.
