At the Bromley Council Executive meeting on 11th February it was announced that the Priory and Museum plan was being taken off the agenda. In a statement, Cllr. Morgan said that the any decision would be postponed for three months to allow further discussions with interested parties based on three issues:

1.      How best to operate the museum, looking at how it would impact on local studies staff and how volunteers could contribute

2.      What was appropriate for the Priory if the museum moved

3.      A study of Orpington Town Centre and how the Priory could contribute.

Some questions were then asked and assurances given on who would be consulted (including BBLHS), the importance of a curator and the lack of local consultation so far.

Despite an intense campaign to keep the Borough’s oldest building – The Priory in Orpington – for the community and retain a museum service, Bromley Council are set to sell the former and disband the latter. Bromley historical and arts groups, including Bromley Borough Local History Society, and individuals lobbied councillors and held meetings with officials in a bid to persuade the council to re-think the proposals.  But at the Renewal and Recreation Policy Development and Scrutiny Committee meeting on 29 January 2015 it was clear only minor concessions will be made.

The 700 year-old Priory, which has housed Bromley Museum for 50 years, will be sold and could be on the market before the end of February.  The building won’t necessarily go to the highest bidder and the council say they will consult with the local community. The museum will move to Bromley Central Library.  It will consist of two display areas, an unchanging local history display and another that features the Lubbock collection.  This is on loan to the council from the Lubbock family and it has been agreed that the display will be changed on a regular basis so more items can be seen by visitors.

There will be no curator and no ongoing funding has been allocated, so the Borough’s offering will lose recognised museum service status. The proposal is for a one-off capital allocation of £395,000 that will cover the closing of the museum, rationalisation of the collections by specialists, and the setting-up of the two display areas in Bromley library. Many people are concerned about the security of The Priory if it is left empty.  But Cllr. Peter Morgan said: “We will spend whatever it takes.” He also promised to abide by English Heritage guidelines on security of empty Grade 2* listed properties.

Lydia Coelho, the Community Development Manager, explained that rationalisation means establishing which of the artefacts are relevant to the Borough’s history and finding a new home for the rest.  First they will offer exhibits to other museums or see if the people who donated them want them back. The rest will be put up for sale. Many of the pictures in the Art Collection are already being used: 50 are in the PRU hospital at Farnborough and others in Council buildings.  In answer to a question Cllr Morgan said they would like to display them more widely in other buildings, including the Civic Centre.

Care of the displays will be under the umbrella of Bromley’s Local Studies Department.  To questions about the demise of the education work done by the museum staff, it was said it would be easier for schools to visit the Central Library than Orpington and that Local Studies staff already work with schools, so there would still be some service. Publicity and online information will be produced about the changes and a digital archive is being created so organisations can see what’s available in the collection.

The only area where the Council have backtracked is on volunteers.  Cllr. Morgan said the council is now looking to involve volunteers and heritage groups.  Over 40 volunteers are signed up with the museum at The Priory.  Most came forward in response to the £2m plus bid for Heritage Lottery Funding which the Council decided not to go ahead with the last year.  However, volunteers will need expert supervision to deal with artefacts.  It was not clear where this will come from. 

He said: “If possible we would like to enable special interest groups to access the store-based collection if they wish to put on temporary exhibitions, for example in the community exhibition space at Central Library which will be refurbished as part of this project.  This will only be able to happen if these groups work with us.”

The proposals now go to the Executive Committee and then to the full Council for approval.