Museum professionals working in coastal locations believe culture can be at the heart of schemes to regenerate these areas and reinvigorate communities affected by poverty.
An analysis by the Social Market Foundation published in September found that seaside towns are some of the most deprived in the country, with a widening gap between coastal communities and elsewhere. Employees in seaside communities are paid £3,600 less annually than the national average, the report claimed.
In September, the government announced £40m for a new round of its Coastal Communities Fund.
Paul Brookes, the interim chief executive of The Box, a regeneration scheme being carried out by Plymouth City Council that will open in 2020 and include a museum, says: “Being a coastal museum is an issue. Most often, you’d be near a port, which is a place often at the end of a road where people depart or arrive. One of the challenges, in terms of visitors, is getting them to stay and enjoy what we have on offer.”
The £37m Box project will involve the collections from the City Museum and Art Gallery, Plymouth and West Devon Record Office, South West Film and Television Archive and South West Image Bank being moved to a single site.
“The opportunity we’re trying to fulfil with the Box project is telling the stories of the local area,” says Brookes. “The challenge comes with the maritime stories and making connections as to why people live in Plymouth. Being able to tell that story in the museum gives back something to local people that they can engage with.”
He says responding to the area’s changing industrial base is at the heart of the local authority’s agenda.
“It’s been a passion by the council to regenerate the city through culture,” adds Brookes. “We have to find a way of building civic pride through something people can keep using.”
Sheringham Museum in Norfolk has two paid staff and is open from March until October. Next year, the museum will host a touring exhibition by influential photographer Olive Edis, who worked and lived locally.
Lisa Little, the museums and collections manager, says: “The locals are incredibly supportive. We are manned by 51 volunteers and it wouldn’t happen without them. It’s very cyclical. We are planning our summer exhibitions until 2021. They are a big draw for us, as they entice the locals back for repeat visits but also attract the tourist trade, so we have to have something that’s exciting on a national level.”
She praises Share Museums East, set up by Norfolk Museums Service in 2012 to deliver Arts Council England Museum Development funding, for supporting the museum.
“There’s lots of other interesting heritage in the town, so we work closely with them,” says Little. “You have to get really involved and make it part of a community. We get involved in big events that happen here.”
Elsewhere, the Resorting to the Coast scheme is inviting tenders to deliver a new schools programme financed by the Heritage Lottery Fund in partnership with Essex County Council and Tendring District Council. The project engages with local community groups and schools over the seaside heritage in the area.
Scarborough Museums Trust set up a Seaside Heritage Subject Specialist Network in 2016, as part of project that is supported by the Esmée Fairbairn Collections Fund, which is managed by the Museums Association. The network was created to explore seaside heritage and to research and share knowledge on the cultural legacy of the seaside holiday.
An analysis by the Social Market Foundation published in September found that seaside towns are some of the most deprived in the country, with a widening gap between coastal communities and elsewhere. Employees in seaside communities are paid £3,600 less annually than the national average, the report claimed.
In September, the government announced £40m for a new round of its Coastal Communities Fund.
Paul Brookes, the interim chief executive of The Box, a regeneration scheme being carried out by Plymouth City Council that will open in 2020 and include a museum, says: “Being a coastal museum is an issue. Most often, you’d be near a port, which is a place often at the end of a road where people depart or arrive. One of the challenges, in terms of visitors, is getting them to stay and enjoy what we have on offer.”
The £37m Box project will involve the collections from the City Museum and Art Gallery, Plymouth and West Devon Record Office, South West Film and Television Archive and South West Image Bank being moved to a single site.
“The opportunity we’re trying to fulfil with the Box project is telling the stories of the local area,” says Brookes. “The challenge comes with the maritime stories and making connections as to why people live in Plymouth. Being able to tell that story in the museum gives back something to local people that they can engage with.”
He says responding to the area’s changing industrial base is at the heart of the local authority’s agenda.
“It’s been a passion by the council to regenerate the city through culture,” adds Brookes. “We have to find a way of building civic pride through something people can keep using.”
Sheringham Museum in Norfolk has two paid staff and is open from March until October. Next year, the museum will host a touring exhibition by influential photographer Olive Edis, who worked and lived locally.
Lisa Little, the museums and collections manager, says: “The locals are incredibly supportive. We are manned by 51 volunteers and it wouldn’t happen without them. It’s very cyclical. We are planning our summer exhibitions until 2021. They are a big draw for us, as they entice the locals back for repeat visits but also attract the tourist trade, so we have to have something that’s exciting on a national level.”
She praises Share Museums East, set up by Norfolk Museums Service in 2012 to deliver Arts Council England Museum Development funding, for supporting the museum.
“There’s lots of other interesting heritage in the town, so we work closely with them,” says Little. “You have to get really involved and make it part of a community. We get involved in big events that happen here.”
Elsewhere, the Resorting to the Coast scheme is inviting tenders to deliver a new schools programme financed by the Heritage Lottery Fund in partnership with Essex County Council and Tendring District Council. The project engages with local community groups and schools over the seaside heritage in the area.
Scarborough Museums Trust set up a Seaside Heritage Subject Specialist Network in 2016, as part of project that is supported by the Esmée Fairbairn Collections Fund, which is managed by the Museums Association. The network was created to explore seaside heritage and to research and share knowledge on the cultural legacy of the seaside holiday.