Former West Yorkshire museum to be sold at auction despite campaign to save it
The Red House museum closed in 2016
A date has been set for when Kirklees Council hopes to offload the historic Grade II* Listed former Red House Museum with Bronte connections.
Tuesday, December 3 will see the Grade-II Listed Georgian mansion dating back to the 17th Century go under the hammer with Pugh Auctions, with a guide price of £650k plus. Once the home of Charlotte Bronte’s friend, Mary Taylor, the museum closed its doors in 2016 and was earmarked for a wedding venue and holiday accommodation years later, but this plan fell through.
The council announced it was looking to dispose of several assets last year, when it was facing an eyewatering £47m deficit, and was hoping to bring in a minimum of £4m from the sales.
Other options for some of the properties included Community Asset Transfers – where a site is handed over to be owned and managed by the community, though in the case of Red House, the council is pushing ahead with an auction.
Charitable organisation, Red House Yorkshire Heritage Trust, has commented on the news. The group was formed in November 2019 in the hopes of saving the Red House sites and its buildings so they could benefit the local community.
A statement on their Facebook page says: “Communities Together and Red House Yorkshire Heritage Trust collaboratively put forward a bid to purchase the house and gardens with a view to restoring community access. Kirklees Council did not accept this bid. As a result, Red House will now be sold by auction…
“We are profoundly saddened by this outcome and fully understand and share the community’s strong disapproval of the council’s decision.”
Councillor Graham Turner, Cabinet Member for Finance & Regeneration, said: “Next month we’ll be auctioning off Red House in Gomersal. As this building is now surplus to the council’s requirements, it could generate crucial capital funding to help us deliver a better future for Kirklees.”