Fears are being expressed in Cornwall about the impending sale of the Shipwreck Treasure Museum in Charlestown, a property containing an historic collection of maritime and shipwreck memorabilia that includes many amateur scuba-diver finds from over the years.
There are now concerns that it might not prove possible to sell the museum as a going concern, in which case the unique collection could be broken up.
“It's sad for Charlestown on a local level, but it’s sad for Cornwall as a whole because we’re losing a wonderful museum,” local historian Elizabeth Dale has told the BBC, adding that whatever happens, maritime artefacts donated by local groups and families should not be sold off.
The museum is housed in the Merchants of Charlestown building overlooking historic Charlestown Harbour in St Austell, and contains some 7,000 items on display or in storage, all of them included in the £1.95 million asking price for the freehold of the property.
Some of the exhibits have come from celebrated shipwrecks including the Mary Rose, Titanic, Lusitania and Royal Charter and, as might be expected, everything is said to have been declared to the Receiver of Wreck or was covered by the 2002 national wreck amnesty.
An extensive complex of tunnels connects the different parts of the museum. The price includes the current Shackleton's Legacy Exhibition, co-produced with the Royal Geographic Society.
There is also a 100-cover bar-restaurant, shops and ice-cream café-takeaway, and a buyer wishing to keep the museum going could call on the services of its existing full-time staff of four.
Contingency plans
The museum was established almost 50 years ago, and for the past nine years has been owned by Sir Tim Smit, co-founder of the Eden Project and owner of the Lost Gardens of Heligan, who is currently in the process of consolidating his corporate activities.
Smit is known to have made contingency plans in case it proves impossible to sell the museum and contents as a going concern – he intends to auction off the shipwreck memorabilia separately in November, according to Cornwall Live. The estate agent handling the sale is SBC Property of Truro.
In the meantime Shipwreck Treasure Museum remains open for business daily from 10am-4pm. Admission (not including Shackleton’s Legacy) costs £8.50 (£5 for under-18s).
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