Petition Speech to full Council meeting

 The Save Swindon Museum and Art Gallery petition signatories were submitted to Swindon Borough Council ahead of their full council meeting to be held on 23 September at 7pm, so that the matter could be discussed by councillors. As the person submitting the petition, I was allowed 5 minutes to speak about it, explain the basis of the requests, and why it was important, and be clear about the outcome we were asking for. I read the speech out so I didn't forget any points, unfortunately I had to stand on the balcony, not the best place to attract attention, with no possibility of making eye contact. I did start the speech by asking if people could hear me. I've put a copy of the speech below:

'Mr Mayor and assembled Councillors

The petition you have received today is a reflection of the strong feelings aroused by this Council's proposal to sell Apsley House and consign the town's museum and art collections to limbo for the next ten years, or however long it takes to build the new Art Pavilion as part of Swindon's grand vision of a new 'Cultural Quarter'.

Why sell Apsley House before a suitable replacement has been built?

The petition was started because Swindon Museum and Art Gallery currently housed at Apsley House in Old Town is under threat of permanent closure, its contents being put into storage, and the building sold as ‘surplus to requirements’. The museum has been housed there for the last 90 years, and the art collection for the last 60 years.  Apsley House is a much loved facility despite its shortcomings, a lovely place to visit, and could be improved with some creative thinking.  Please reconsider before passing it into private ownership; it is to use a hackneyed term, a jewel in Swindon’s crown.

Apsley House is a public building, it is not surplus to requirements, and it’s shameful that the council think of selling it now. The money realised from the sale, would not be used for years on the new Art Pavilion and museum. It can only be worth more in years to come?

Swindon needs a museum and art gallery, it does have one, let’s open it. It’s a scandal that a town with 250000 pop contemplates closing its museum and art gallery for an indefinite period. Everyone in the art world I have spoken to has expressed disbelief at these plans, and said surely that couldn’t happen?

The current plans to build a Cultural Quarter are laudable, but there are many challenges ahead, it may take 10-20 years to realise this ambition. In the interim, it has been proposed that Art on Tour where reproductions of artworks are taken to popular locations via pop up gazebos, be used in place of the art gallery, with the mantra ‘more art to more people’ being frequently used. Art on Tour is fine, but as a signpost to the real thing by which I mean a proper museum and art gallery where collections can be seen together.

The latest report, was passed at Cabinet on 8 September, suggesting that some of the collections be housed in the first floor of the Civic Offices which would be incrementally converted for use as somewhere pieces of art and museum artefacts could be viewed.

Effectively then, the latest plans are to use the £400000 allocated in 2019 to Apsley House, be spent on moving all collections from Apsley House, relocating some to the Civic Offices and putting the rest in storage. There have been to date no costings for any of this, no specifics. In their current state, the Civic Offices are not suitable to house SMAG. The space comprises office rooms off a corridor and the Council's proposal to improve the space “incrementally” does not imply that the space will do justice to the Art Collection any time soon. Out of sight, out of mind? This is without considering the security implications of public access to the building.

There is a proposal from the Parish Council that after discussions with SBC, they would be interested in the short term transfer of Apsley House to South Swindon Parish Council so they could reopen it as soon as possible. This would seem to be an ideal solution for resolving the loss of Swindon Museum and Art Gallery.

It is really important for Swindon and its environs that we have a working museum and art gallery in the interim between now and when the Cultural Quarter is built. We need to give people confidence that we know how to look after our inheritance, and going forward we can acquire and display bequeathed items. At the moment I have emails on an almost daily basis from people choosing to not leave art works or ceramic collections to Swindon. We need to wake up and not sleep walk our way into being entirely off the cultural map of the UK.

How can we even imagine a town the size of Swindon, and growing, without a Museum and Art Gallery?

I’ll end with where we started, the wording of the petition which 5000 people signed:

‘We support the call by the Friends of Swindon Museum and Art Gallery for the Swindon Collection of Modern British Art and the Museum Collections to be retained on show in Apsley House until they can be moved to a new home where they are on show to the public. 

Finally, closing the museum and art gallery will seriously undermine credibility of Swindon Borough Council with potential funders of the Cultural quarter.'

There were points raised by Councillors Jane Milner-Barry, Jim Robbins and Jim Grant who agreed with the petition and made some excellent points including the fact that being an Arts Council  priority area isn't a good thing, it's quite shameful, the Kimmeridge office development is 10 years behind schedule so how long will the CQ take to build? Cllrs Mary Martin and Nick Burns- Howell spoke about the importance of everyone seeing art. There was a vote, I think to dismiss the petition, it's hard to follow what's going on from the balcony, all the Conservatives put their hands up and the motion was carried.

  In the debate on the Petition, Council Leader David Renard told councillors that the Cabinet Member for Culture and Heritage was keeping an open mind about the decision to move the collections to the Civic Offices, and that the proposal by South Swindon Parish would be evaluated to see whether it would be acceptable to the Cabinet and the Council as a whole.

SBC response to  the petition  22 09 2021 as quoted on BBC Radio Wiltshire:

“Since the building was closed at the start of the pandemic  its condition has deteriorated which would cost a lot of money to fix.  In order to ensure Swindon’s collection continues to be visited, the council’s cabinet has agreed to authorise  council officers to evaluate if Swindon Museum and Art Gallery collections could be temporarily housed in the Civic  Offices.  The civic offices would provide larger more accessible facilities with space for  talks, events, school groups and tours, ensuring that much more of the art is available to view.  The potential display of some of the collection alongside our accredited museum at Lydiard House will also be assessed.”

Before we went into the Civic Offices last Thursday, there were some photos taken of the assembled group, I haven't yet seen any, I did take this photo of Sandy dressed as a croc:

 

Presenting the Petition to Save Swindon Museum and Art Gallery

 This Thursday there will be a full Council meeting in the Civic Offices at 7pm where one of the items on the agenda will be a consideration of the petition 'Save Swindon Museum and Art Gallery' which was signed by over 4000 people. A reminder of what we said when the petition was started:

'We support the call by the Friends of Swindon Museum and Art Gallery for the Swindon Collection of Modern British Art and the Museum Collections to be retained on show in Apsley House until they can be moved to a new home where they are on show to the public. 

We believe that the dispersal and mothballing of the collections would be highly damaging to Swindon’s bid for City status.

We reject the recommendations in the Cabinet Member Decision Note and call for a further report to be produced setting out all the options for the future of the collections and of Apsley House, for all funding opportunities to be investigated, and for a debate to be held in full Council  before any decisions are made'.

A further report was published setting out the options for the future of SMAG on 1 September, although there weren't any options; a reminder of what was in this second report can be seen by following this link:

https://ww5.swindon.gov.uk/moderngov/documents/b23936/Additional%20Papers%2008th-Sep-2021%2018.00%20Cabinet.pdf?T=9

http://friendsofsmag.blogspot.com/2021/09/cabinet-decision-on-8-september.html

Before the Scrutiny meeting we had a photo taken of the assembled people, and many came in to follow proceedings at the meeting on 13 September, they asked questions, and it seemed as though the council might be  persuaded that reopening Apsley House in the interim before the new cultural quarter is built, but they weren't. Here's the photo taken before the Scrutiny meeting:

 It would be great to have as many people as possible to come and support the reopening of Apsley House on Thursday evening. We are gathering at 6.40pm outside the Civic Offices, you don't need to come to the meeting, but it would be great if you could be there.

South Swindon Parish Council have submitted a proposal to reopen SMAG, here it is:

1. Introduction

To investigate the opportunity for South Swindon Parish Council (SSPC) to amalgamate the Old Town Library service with the museum and art gallery based in Apsley House

 

2.             Report Details

2.1 Swindon Borough Council (SBC) have articulated their desire to dispose of Apsley House as a Borough Council asset.

 

2.2 SBC have announced that the Museum and Art gallery provision will not reopen within Apsley House and had initially proposed placing artefacts, displays and artwork in storage until such time as a new facility is ready in the proposed cultural quarter, post 2028.

2.3 Robust public opposition to the SBC proposal has seen a policy repositioning with regards to the accessibility of artifacts, displays and artwork . SBC have articulated that the 1st floor of the Civic building may be an alternative temporary location, subject to a feasibility study and budgetary / elected member scrutiny.

2.4 SSPC is proposing that discussion commence with SBC to investigate the feasibility of:

 

• The Apsley House asset to be transferred to SSPC on a short term lease of between 7 and 10 years, The transfer to include £400K transitional fund currently reserved for Apsley House in order to complete current listed repairs and help maintain the building for the duration of the short term lease, with an option of an additional £100K based on survey results.
• SSPC incorporating the Old Town Library Provision into Apsley House, therefore increasing footfall, utilising current Library staff and providing a revenue saving to the Parish in vacating the current premises 

2.5 It is the stated aim of SSPC through this proposal to work towards ensuring that Swindon has a functioning Art Gallery and Museum accessible to the people of Swindon and visitors to our town, whilst the Borough Council moves forward with aspirations to build a cultural quarter that would include an improved Art Gallery and Museum facility.

2.6 SSPC would envisage that the Library provision is mainly housed in the two ground floor front rooms of Apsley House with strategic bookcase deployment, integrating book selection relevant to the exhibit subject matter. It should be noted that these rooms are currently not part of the museum display offering.

2.7 South Swindon Parish Council would be better placed to apply for grants through various channels to contribute to the running costs of the facility in the medium term.

2.8 It would be understood that the exhibits remain the property of Swindon Borough Council.

 

2.9 If consensus is achieved to move forward with the above proposal, the asset transfer would be subject to the completion of a full building survey and condition report.

2.10 SSPC and SBC should seek to include The Friends of Swindon Museum and Art Gallery in discussions 

3.             Proposal

  3.1 That the Parish Council resolves to inform SBC of an expression of interest from the Parish Council pertaining to the potential short term transfer of Apsley House for the purpose of re-opening the facility to the public at the earliest convenience

Saturday's Rally ahead of 8 September Decision

 Last Saturday after the so called ' Consideration of Options for Swindon Museum and Art Gallery' was published, a link appears below:

https://ww5.swindon.gov.uk/moderngov/documents/b23936/Additional%20Papers%2008th-Sep-2021%2018.00%20Cabinet.pdf?T=9

 The Save our Museum and Gallery, SoMAG group decided to hold another rally outside Apsley House, there aren't any options in the report and no consideration was taken of the views of our group by either council officers or Councillor Jandy, responsible for the future of Swindon Museum and Art Gallery and Apsley House.

Lots of people came along to show support, and surprise that the council could shut one venue before another was ready to display the collections. I have used other people's photos of the rally, thank you to those who supplied them via social media:

Maybe this is the best one? Here are more:

There was an Advertiser write up of the rally here.

This morning the petition to Save Swindon Museum and Art Gallery was handed in at the Civic Offices. We have well over 4000 signatures, and the petition continues because we haven't declared victory because there hasn't been one yet. If you haven't yet signed, here's a link: https://chng.it/ZKKbGbywMB

Here's a copy of today's press release:

More than 4000 people have signed the petition urging Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet not to make a decision about Apsley House tomorrow evening <c Wed 8 Sept>.

 

Members of Save Our Museum and Art Gallery group (SoMAG), who launched the petition, presented it to Swindon Borough Council this morning.

Linda Kasmaty, of Save Our Museum and Art Gallery group (SoMAG), said that arguments by council officers that Apsley House should remain closed for financial reasons simply don’t stack up. There is no evidence of what it would cost to reopen the museum and art gallery or to carry out the repairs the officers claim are needed.

“The council admits it has allowed Apsley House, a Grade II listed building which it owns, to fall into serious disrepair, but there is no evidence that professional surveys have been carried out, and no up to date costs for repairs have been produced,” said Linda.

“The council is also suggesting using the Civic Offices as an alternative to the art gallery. Yet the last time the council considered using the Civic Offices to house the paintings, it dismissed that idea because it would cost £1.8m.

“In all conscience, members of Cabinet cannot take an informed decision on this, because they have not been given the information they need. We are urging members to do the intelligent and responsible thing, and tell their officers to go back to the drawing board.

“Swindon’s art and museum collections belong to Swindon people, not to the local authority. The least residents can expect is that the full council has an opportunity to see the results of professional surveys and costings, and make a decision based on the fact.”

 

The petition states:

 

“We support the call by the Friends of Swindon Museum and Art Gallery for the Swindon Collection of Modern British Art and the Museum Collections to be retained on show in Apsley House until they can be moved to a new home where they are on show to the public. 

“We believe that the dispersal and mothballing of the collections would be highly damaging to Swindon’s bid for City status.

“We reject the recommendations in the Cabinet Member Decision Note and call for a further report to be produced setting out all the options for the future of the collections and of Apsley House, for all funding opportunities to be investigated, and for a debate to be held in full Council before any decisions are made.”

Book Launch of Pevsner Architectural Guide to Wiltshire

In June, I was invited to a book launch of the revised edition of the Pevsner guide to Wiltshire, I sent the invitation on to the Friends' membership, and signed up to the talk which was advertised like this:

 'Our latest revised volume, Julian Orbach's Wiltshire, will be published on 8 June, and we are delighted to be holding an online event to launch the book. On Tuesday 15 June, at 6pm, the author will be live in conversation with the book's editor, Charles O'Brien about his survey of the county, and they will be joined by James O. Davies, photographer. There will be an opportunity to ask questions at the end'.

 I will include the introductory slide from the talk, but after that, we were told we couldn't take any photographs, so I have included one of my own.

The indispensable guide to the architectural heritage of Wiltshire

With hundreds of buildings added to the new gazetteer, this volume offers a fully revised and updated guide to Wiltshire. From prehistoric Stonehenge and thirteenth-century Salisbury Cathedral, to Elizabethan Longleat, Palladian Wilton and landscaped gardens of Stourhead, the buildings of Wiltshire represent the best of every period of English architecture. Towns range from Marlborough with its sweeping High Street to Bradford-on-Avon, rich in the architectural legacy of clothiers’ houses. Villages include the exceptional Lacock in the shadow of its abbey’s remains as well as Avebury, where the houses sit within the famous stone circle. This volume, covering structures as diverse as garden follies and railway workers’ housing is an essential reference for visitors and residents alike.

The talk was fascinating and has opened a door on how we might look at a place, in this case Wiltshire, and more particularly Swindon where I live. The Wiltshire Pevsner book was originally published in 1963, dedicated to Nicholas and Paul, and describes Wiltshire as 'the county of the cottage'. Wikipedia says this:

'The Pevsner Architectural Guides are a series of guide books to the architecture of Great Britain and Ireland. Begun in the 1940s by the art historian Sir Nikolaus Pevsner, the 46 volumes of the original Buildings of England series were published between 1951 and 1974. The series was then extended to Scotland, Wales and Ireland in the late 1970s'.

 The lecture was given by Julian Orbach and Charles O'Brien as it says above. I was particularly interested in what they said about Swindon, describing it as a 'wonderfully fascinating place' The David Murray John Tower he described as 'the best tower block of its period' and Wat Tyler house 'cheeky naming of council offices'. He commented that things change so fast in Swindon, in 1998, Motorola's huge pipe got a special mention, as did the former Renault building in Westlea described beautifully on page 711 of the guide as 'The cathedral among Swindon's giant sheds, designed to store automotive parts, but disused for twenty years'. A bit further on 'It remains a beautiful expression of architecture and engineering in harmony.'

After the main part of the lecture, James O Davies who has taken the majority of the photographs talked to us about the way he manages to achieve his fantastic photos. Some of you will remember we were fortunate enough to hear about his photography in a lecture in December 2020, you can read about it here. It wasn't videoed, but was memorable. James said when taking photographs for the guide, he likes straight on views, uses tall ladders, needs to absence of cars, people and garden furniture to achieve a timeless effect.James will persevere to get exactly the effect he wants, enjoys problem solving and will use lighting to help in darker corners and under trees. For obvious reasons, I can't reproduce his photographs here, but I will say that one of the most fabulous of his photos was Oare House Pavilion taken at 10.45pm on Midsummer's eve. The building, designed by I.M.Pei of New York, 2000-4, for Sir Henry and Lady Kewick is a 'pagoda of glass' in the grounds of Oare House, and described by me here.

I didn't take my photograph late at night, but will include it here so you can see the site and magnificence of the building:

I'm very pleased with my Pevsner guide, and would encourage you all to go out and buy one.

And to click here and sign the petition to Save our Museum and Gallery:

http://www.change.org/SaveSwindonMuseumandArtGallery

 

Photographs of Today's Rally outside Apsley House

 Despite temperatures soaring into the 30s, there was a fabulous turnout today for the rally to ask for a rethink on the permanent closure/ non reopening of Apsley House the home of Swindon Museum and Art Gallery. I'm not sure how many people attended, certainly in excess of 100, maybe 200, but thank you to all those who made the event a tremendous success. People came with a variety of their own posters, we had flyers to hand out, the banner we had printed at Minuteman for the occasion didn't get a look in, because there were so many people in front of Apsley House, but we can save that for another day.

We were very lucky to have Stuart Harrison Photographers taking photographs which I'll share with you here. With children's workshops about to take place in a normal year, pre closure decisions, it seems appropriate to start with this little boy:

Wonderful expression, there's another:

 I'll add the photos in the order in wghich they were taken:

Fabulous support, and if you haven't signed the petition, please click here and do so:

https://www.change.org/SaveSwindonMuseumandArtGallery