Museum Restoration

Museum Opening Delayed…

It has now been confirmed that Topsham Museum, including the Tea Room and Garden, will be closed for several months while it undergoes extensive repair works. Work started late last year to replace the external render revealed substantial problems with the structure of the building. These pictures of two of the roof trusses and of a floor joist give some idea of the problems that have been discovered.

Because 25 Strand is a listed building work cannot start until listed building consent has been granted by Exeter City Council’s Planning Committee. An application for that consent has been made and the deadline for determination of the application is 21 March. However, an intervention by the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings may affect the timetable for a decision to be made.

It is hoped that the contractors will be in a position to start work as soon as consent is given. The works will take several months to complete and scaffolding will be required throughout that time. The Museum trustees greatly regret the inconvenience that this causes to neighbours, but they have no control over the work.

Museum President, Rachel Nichols, said: “We’re extremely grateful to the council for taking such care with the building, which is of huge historic interest. It was built in 1688 and left to the council in 1983 to hold in trust as a museum for the people of Topsham.

We normally have around 10,000 visitors a year and it’s a great pity that it will not be able to open as usual in April. However, we’re seeing this as a golden opportunity to take stock of our collections, refresh the Museum and reopen with an even better story of the town’s history, its maritime traditions and the importance of the Exe Estuary.”