Historic gas showroom WILL be rescued and moved to Black Country Living Museum
The battle to save an historic former gas showroom has been won by the Black Country Living Museum – despite council chiefs dismissing plans as ‘pie in the sky’ earlier this year.
The building in West Bromwich High Street will now be relocated to the museum base as part of its £21 million expansion project. It was given the go-ahead to be demolished in May.
But bosses at the Tipton Road site – who have campaigned to save the building since last year – say that they will now pay additional costs to make sure that it is taken down brick-by-brick.
It contradicts claims made by council members in recent months that the Museum did not have a ‘credible proposal’ for the ‘pie in the sky’ relocation of the 1940s building, as no offer was ever presented to them by the museum.
Speaking today, Councillor Paul Moore, cabinet member for regeneration, said: “I am very pleased to get confirmation from the museum that they are prepared to pay the additional costs of demolishing the building in order to relocate the sections they want to save.
“The extra costs come from the need to remove the parts of the building the museum require brick-by-brick rather than just the usual demolition process.
“It is important that we remove the building as soon as possible and I was always anxious that the removal of the building by the museum would not bring additional costs for the local council taxpayers.
"The council looks forward to continuing to work with the museum on this project and their future plans.”
The relocation of the building will form part of the museum’s ambitious plans to bring buildings back to life as part of a major restoration project. It will see the attraction expanded by a third as a new 1940-60s town is built.
Jonathan Wilson, deputy chief executive of collections, learning and research, said: “The Gas Showroom is one of the key buildings we have identified to create at the museum as part of BCLM: Forging Ahead since it gives us the opportunity to tell a range of real Black Country lives and stories of social and domestic life from the 1940s-1960s.
"The unsafe condition of the building in its current location means that its heritage cannot be saved in situ but we are delighted to be able to extend its legacy at the museum for many years to come.”
