LOCKED OUT OF THE LOCK MUSEUM?

15-11-2008

Brendan King reports on the continuing debate concerning the likely loss of Willenhall’s Heritage Locksmith’s House and Workshop Museum.
 
A few weeks ago I wrote a review article on the situation concerning the Locksmith’s House Museum and Locksmiths Workshop at Willenhall. see link here

This article has provoked feedback, directly to me, from supporters of the museum and has revealed a wide variety of views as to the reasons that the future of this important heritage site for the Black Country is in grave danger.

I’ve also been able to speak with the director of the site owner – the Black Country Living Museum (BCLM) Ian Walden. This has enabled a clarification on the differently viewed issues as at the current time.

Most of the protests I came across in my first article, focused on the proposed withdrawal of £12,000 funding by Walsall Council, and was aimed at the Council and elected members responsible – for the ‘meanness’ in withdrawing funding and causing the closure to the general visitor of the Locksmith’s House and Workshop, from 17th Dec. this year.

But, calls to me, from passionate supporters of the museum have been from people critical of the BCLM and less critical of Walsall Council.

It was claimed, that Walsall Council had put in a lot of support over many years, financially and organisationally, to the original Museum Trust – set up to preserve, not only the locksmiths workshop, but, also the house where the Hodson family lived and whose history is considered just as important as the history of lock making as revealed and demonstrated within the workshops.

It has been claimed that, when the Trust sold the museum to the Black Country Living Museum (for a token payment of £1 pound) there was a sum of £20,000 handed over to continue funding the museum, plus continuing funding from Yale Locks as well as the £12,000 council funding. But (it’s claimed) that the BCLM had done little more than add a lick of paint to the more recent ‘refurbishments’.

It’s claimed that the BCLM has been unduly acquisitive in wanting to ‘demolish’ the Locksmith’s House and workshops to rebuild it at the BCLM site in Dudley.

And, that when this proposal was refused by Walsall Council, interest by the BCLM has noticeably declined and that this has led to the diminution of opening times and now ending in the final closure to the public in December.

It is claimed that, if the BCLM could afford the huge cost of taking the Locksmiths House and Workshops down brick by brick and reconstructing at the BCLM site – that it could afford to finance the museum at its proper site in Willenhall for the foreseeable future.

As the Museum is now owned of the BCLM – it is up to them to finance its continuation – not Walsall Council – is the received view to me of a number of museum supporters – and the stated view of Walsall Council itself.

On speaking to Ian Walden (the BCLM Director), however, he gives a different picture:

He states that he and his trustees and managers would wish, as a priority, to retain the Locksmiths House and Workshop Museum intact and in situation – and that this has been the aim of all those responsible for the Museum over a 20 year period.

But all of those who’ve tried to make it an attractive heritage visitor site and a going financial concern – albeit with a Council and long term Yale Locks subsidy – the lack of visitors by people from the area and region has been the cause of its continued struggle for vialbility.

Mr Walden stated that the £20,000 has been spent, since the BCLM acquired the museum, to repair serious structural defects in the building – to make it safe to the public – and that all funds available has been spent on paying 2 permanent staff to supervise, welcome and inform visitors – along with the vital work of volunteers and museum supporters.

Around 3 years ago, Yale stated it was to end funding – but that this would be phased to allow time for different funding arrangements to be made.

However, the recent announcement of withdrawal of £12,000 per annum funding by Walsall Council has been the final straw –and the decision to close to the public had to be made.

And, Mr Walden admitted, that the future of the museum was in doubt as very little profit was gained from charging pre-booked parties – mainly school parties – that would only be prepared to pay token fees for a visit, that was far more limited in attraction than a visit to the nearby, but vastly larger and more varied, BCLM.

So the notion of removing the Locksmiths House and Workshops / plus contents to the BCLM site was discussed.

However, Mr Walden stated, that it would only be practical to open the workshop part of the museum as a working museum at the BCLM. And that the house and contents – exampling the life and heritage of the Hodson family – would be an unlikely proposition as a recreation at the BCLM site.

Mr Walden accepted that the family house and family heritage was a major concern for the museum supporters – and he accepted fully that the retention of the Locksmiths house and Workshop at its current site was the very best proposition.

The worst case scenario, admitted Mr Walden, was the selling of the house to a private speculator and who would alter the building – listed as a heritage site only after being classed formally as a museum, following the take over by the BCLM.

And that the stripping of the contents and removal to the BCLM site with a limited recreation of the current site at the BCLM being a very poor 2nd option,

According to Mr Walden, the BCLM would still wish to keep the museum open at it original position in New St ,Willenhall, – with a combination of interested private funders and a continuation of the similar level of funding as previously provided by Walsall Council.

Mr Walden emphasised that he was still in meetings with the council to find a solution that retains the museum in situation, as the best option agreed by all concerned, or removal of the workshops and contents the BCLM site if retention at the current site was not viable.

The consensus message that I’m receiving is that all sides responsible for the funding and running of this museum are claiming that they have the best interests of retaining and keeping open the Locksmith’s House and Workshop in Willenhall.

But the major problem is the lack of public support for the heritage site – exampled by the failure of Willenhall and Black Country folk to visit the museum regularly and in sufficient numbers to ensure its continued survival.

Questions:
Is it the fault of Willenhall and Black Country people that the future of the Locksmith’s House and Worksop Heritage Museum is in jeopardy?

Or is it the fault, also, of Walsall Council in withdrawing the small sum of £12,000?

Or is it the Black Country Living Museum who, as owner, is ultimately responsible for the museum’s successful upkeep and vialbility?

The weekend Stirrers view, is that if this museum is sold off as a private house and the workshops bulldozed or converted to private living accommodation – this will be, in the main, due to the indifference of the people of the region in this gem of a heritage site, demonstrating uniquely the amazing life and work of a Black Country locksmith family.

A family that made fantastic locks for the world – for family homes, industry and royal residencies. Work of such quality that only the town of Willenhall itself was allowed to use the royal designated title ‘Made in Willenhall’ on its locks. A privilege no other manufacture was allowed so to do.

But the BCLM and Walsall Council, with the help of the small band of passionate supporters, must work together to keep the museum open to the general public after Christmas and to create sufficient long-term advertising and publicity to ensure enough folk visit the museum regularly to ensure its vialbility.

But, Ian Walden points out, that it’s difficult for a small specialist heritage museum to survive, against the wide-ranging attractions of large open air museums such as the BCLM and Blist’s Hill (Iron Bridge Gorge) working Museums.

So a second alternative – if viability cannot be maintained at Willenhall – would be to move the whole museum – lock, stock and barrel (no pun intended) over to the BCLM – so that the heritage of Willenhall’s locksmith’s family and their workshops practices can be seen by a great many more people now and forever.

DISCUSS ON THE STIRRER FORUM