Fleetwood Museum
| Fleetwood Museum | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Standort | Fleetwood, Lancashire, England |
| Built | 1836 |
| Architect | Decimus Burton |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
| Official name | Fleetwood Museum and Public Library |
| Designated | 31 March 1978 |
| Reference no. | 1072428 |
  Location of Fleetwood Museum in Fleetwood | |
Fleetwood Museum is a local history and maritime museum in the English seaside town of Fleetwood, Lancashire. The museum was originally the town's Customs House and, completed in 1836, was one of the first buildings constructed in Fleetwood. Like much of the town it was designed by architect Decimus Burton. The building is now a maritime museum. It has been designated a Grade II listed building by Historic England.
History
Fleetwood was planned by local landowner Peter Hesketh-Fleetwood who employed Decimus Burton to lay out the town and design many of the buildings.[1] Hesketh-Fleetwood intended his town to be a major port and Burton designed the Customs House as one of the first buildings, completed in 1836.[2][3] In 1876 it became the private residence of Alexander Carson, who extended the building to the north, and named it "Wyre Holm";[2][4] the customs offices were transferred to another building on the same terrace.[5] The building became Fleetwood's Town Hall in 1889.[6] For a short time, it was occupied by a private school and in 1992, it became Fleetwood Museum.[4]
On 31 March 1978, Historic England designated the building a Grade II listed building.[1] The Grade II designation—the lowest of the three grades—is for buildings that are "nationally important and of special interest".[7]
Architecture
Fleetwood Museum is on two storeys.[6] It is built of sandstone, rendered with roughcast lime plaster.[8] The front façade has eight ranges of sash windows.[1] The building is accessed from the front through two porticos. Both entrances are at the top of stone staircases and flanked by columns—the south entrance by round Doric columns and the north entrance by square columns.[6][8] Between the two staircases there are iron railings with spear-shaped finials.[8]
At the roof line there is a parapet with ornamental iron decoration and corner finials.[6] Below the parapet there is a blocking course and a moulded cornice.[1]
Threatened closure
In November 2015 it was announced that Lancashire County Council would withdraw funding from five of its museums: Fleetwood Museum, Helmshore Mills Textile Museum, Judges' Lodgings, Museum of Lancashire and Queen Street Mill.[9] They were initially to close at the end of March 2016 but that month were reprieved until September 2016.[10][11] Local supporters are opposing the closure,[12] and Fleetwood Town Council agreed in January 2016 to "register an expression of interest" in funding the future of the museum.[13]
See also
References
- Footnotes
- ^ a b c d "Wyre Borough Treasurer's and Borough Housing Departments", National Heritage List for England, English Heritage, retrieved 20 June 2011
{{citation}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|work=(help) - ^ a b "Fleetwood Museum — A Voyage of Discovery", lancashire.gov.uk, Lancashire County Council, retrieved 20 June 2011
{{citation}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|work=(help) - ^ Curtis (1994), p. 36
- ^ a b Curtis & Ramsbottom (1993), p. 45
- ^ Porter (1876), p. 225
- ^ a b c d Hartwell (2009), pp. 296–297
- ^ "Listed Buildings", National Heritage List for England, English Heritage, retrieved 10 July 2011
{{citation}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|work=(help) - ^ a b c Taylor & Payne (2008), p. 43
- ^ "Lancashire County Council confirms cuts to job and services". BBC News. 27 November 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
- ^ "Reprieve for Lancashire's under-threat council museums". BBC News. 18 March 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
- ^ Sullivan, Nicola. "Five Lancashire Museums in last chance saloon". Museums Association. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
- ^ "Trust vows to save Fleetwood Museum". Fleetwood Weekly News. 2 December 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
- ^ "Fleetwood Museum - Save our Museum". Visit Fleetwood. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
- Bibliography
- Curtis, Bill (1994), The Golden Dream: The Biography of Sir Peter Hesketh-Fleetwood, Life Publications, ISBN 1-68874-371-5
- Curtis, Bill; Ramsbottom, Martin (1993), The Fleetwood Story, Winckley
- Hartwell, Clare; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2009) [1969], Lancashire: North, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, ISBN 0-300-12667-0
- Porter, John (1876), History of the Fylde of Lancashire, W. Porter, OCLC 12931605
- Taylor, Vivien; Payne, Garry (19 May 2008), Fleetwood Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan (PDF), Wyre Borough Council, retrieved 20 June 2011
External links
- Official website of Fleetwood Museum Trust
- "Fleetwood Museum Trust, registered charity no. 1118601". Charity Commission for England and Wales.
- Fleetwood Museum - Lancashire County Council
