Artefacts to be cleared out by Culture Coventry Trust

Tins of Tom Piper Christmas pudding and National Household dried machine skimmed milk are among items to be destroyed as part of a clear-out by Culture Coventry Trust, the organisation that manages the city’s art collections and archives.

An old bar of Aero and a tinned Heinz treacle sponge are also destined for the bin, with the items being considered a ‘risk to health and safety and contamination of the collection’.

The food items make up just a small percentage of nearly 600 things on the list, some of which will be offered to museums in other parts of the country. Vintage camera equipment and old tools from various shops around Coventry are also being moved on, together with a selection of ceramics, including commemorative plates.

A report to be considered at Monday’s cabinet member for housing and communities meeting at Coventry City Council explains that some of the items were donated or gifted. The majority are housed in Coventry Transport Museum, the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum, and in storerooms.

Any proceeds from the sale of items would be held in reserves by Culture Coventry Trust and then either re-invested in further acquisitions or used to pay for improvements relating to the care of existing collections.

It adds that the planned large-scale move of stored collections to the City Centre Cultural Gateway (CCCG) has prompted the review of the collection. The CCCG will be housed in the former Ikea building. It is planned to become a home to nationally significant collections, making it a landmark destination.

The board of Culture Coventry Trust, which was established in 2013 as an independent limited company with charitable status, has already approved the disposal of the 588 items and small collections, but the council also needs to agree. The Trust has confirmed they are legally free to dispose of the items and any agreements on disposal made with donors will be taken into account.

The report adds: “Priority will be given to retaining the item within the public domain. It will therefore be offered in the first instance, by gift or sale, directly to other accredited museums likely to be interested in its acquisition.

“If the item is not acquired by any accredited museums to which it was offered directly as a gift for sale, then the museum community at large will be advised of the intention to dispose of the material, normally through an announcement in the Museums Association’s Museum Journal and in other specialist journals where appropriate.”