Firepower Museum to leave London home
Collection moving to a heritage centre in Wiltshire
The Firepower Royal Artillery Museum has confirmed plans to leave its home in south east London and move to a new site in Wiltshire.
The museum, which opened at the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, in 2001, will close to the public on 8 July. It had a target of 200,000 visitors a year but has failed to meet this.
“I can confirm that Firepower will move from its current site by the end of 2016,” said Iain Harrison, the chairman of Royal Artillery Museums.
“The capital receipts from this arrangement will be re-invested in the development of a proposed new purpose-built heritage centre for the Royal Artillery Collection at Larkhill on Salisbury Plain, close to Stonehenge.”
Royal Artillery Museums will move its collections to a storage facility in Wiltshire where it will be held until the new museum site is ready, possibly in 2020.
“To maintain the regiment’s links with Woolwich, the contract with the Royal Borough includes the creation of a permanent exhibition in the Greenwich Heritage Centre in Woolwich Arsenal covering the Royal Artillery’s 300 year history, which will open later this year,” Harrison said.
“During transition, we also plan to establish a virtual museum online, explore the possibility of maintaining a small temporary exhibition in another museum, maintain controlled access to our archive and library, undertake travelling exhibitions and run artillery themed re-enactment days at our future museum site on Salisbury Plain.”
Firepower is an Accredited museum.
The museum, which opened at the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, in 2001, will close to the public on 8 July. It had a target of 200,000 visitors a year but has failed to meet this.
“I can confirm that Firepower will move from its current site by the end of 2016,” said Iain Harrison, the chairman of Royal Artillery Museums.
“The capital receipts from this arrangement will be re-invested in the development of a proposed new purpose-built heritage centre for the Royal Artillery Collection at Larkhill on Salisbury Plain, close to Stonehenge.”
Royal Artillery Museums will move its collections to a storage facility in Wiltshire where it will be held until the new museum site is ready, possibly in 2020.
“To maintain the regiment’s links with Woolwich, the contract with the Royal Borough includes the creation of a permanent exhibition in the Greenwich Heritage Centre in Woolwich Arsenal covering the Royal Artillery’s 300 year history, which will open later this year,” Harrison said.
“During transition, we also plan to establish a virtual museum online, explore the possibility of maintaining a small temporary exhibition in another museum, maintain controlled access to our archive and library, undertake travelling exhibitions and run artillery themed re-enactment days at our future museum site on Salisbury Plain.”
Firepower is an Accredited museum.