Surrey museum could shift 43,000 objects to new storage in race to protect national accreditation
It's current storage site has been branded ‘unfit for purpose’ and in “poor condition”.
A Surrey museum could move around 43,000 objects into a new storage site in a race against time to protect its national accreditation. Part of Elmbridge Museum’s collection could be urgently relocated to Weybridge, costing at least £132,000, to prevent losing its accreditation with Arts Council England.
The proposed move comes after the museum’s current storage facility at Elmgrove Hall in Walton-on-Thames was declared ‘unfit for purpose’ and in “poor condition”.
The council said the building’s deteriorating condition posed a risk to the 43,000 historic items it houses and could jeopardise the museum’s accreditation with Arts Council England. Also, the transfer is needed to provide vacant possession for the forthcoming Elmgrove redevelopment project
Last assessed in 2018, the museum’s issue of poor storage facilities was flagged as a key area for improvement. With the next accreditation assessment expected in 2025/26, the council is running out of time to solve the storage issues or else jeopardise its accreditation status.
Despite having almost seven years to deal with the storage issue, Elmbridge council is now being asked to fork out £132,000 from the capital budget to deal with the problem. Councillors will decide on whether to approve the plans at a cabinet meeting on July 14.
A council report details: “it will suffer significant reputational damage, will find it harder to recruit staff, and will also be ineligible for many streams of funding. Also, if the Museum ever wishes to borrow items from other institutions for displays, this will be impossible because of the lack of Accreditation.”
Between June 2022 and September 2024 various options were explored for a new storage solution, according to a council report. While officers have reportedly continued to look for options, no feasible sites have been identified.
Luxfords storage facility, in Weybridge, currently houses a significant part of the council’s Museum collection. Additional space is available and large enough to accommodate the items which need moving- but a package of conversion works is needed to store them in safe and environmentally appropriate conditions, according to a report.
Expanding on the storage space at Luxford will result in an additional on-going annual rental increase of £43,000. The current annual allocated budget is £40,000, bringing the newly revised annual total rental cost to £83,000. The length of the lease is still to be finalised.
While the Luxfords site offers improved conditions, it is not publicly accessible—prompting the council to explore a longer-term solution in partnership with Brooklands Museum.
Discussions are underway to relocate the full Elmbridge Museum collection to Brooklands’ Acoustics Building, which would be converted into a shared facility offering exhibition space, educational programmes, and public access. The project could take up to three years and would likely be overseen by a new Surrey-wide unitary authority.
The council plans to commission a feasibility study later this year to develop detailed proposals, costings, and governance options for the partnership.