£125k grant given to help repair historic West Bromwich museum
Repair work will be carried out on a 17th century Grade II listed museum in West Bromwich thanks to a grant of more than £125,000.
Sandwell Council-owned Oak House Museum requires extensive structural and safety works going well beyond normal maintenance.
It was recently added to Historic England’s ‘At Risk’ Register, as there were concerns regarding its condition.
The authority has now been awarded £125,370 from the Historic England ‘Heritage at Risk’ fund to carry out repairs.
The property is one of the few surviving timber-framed buildings of this type in the Greater Birmingham area and an outstanding example of a yeoman’s house.
Grade II listed buildings are protected under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990, and the council has a duty to maintain and preserve the character of the building.
Historic England offers grant funding towards the repair and conservation of listed buildings, scheduled monuments and registered parks and gardens.
The cash will help in the first phase of works to address the most urgent repairs, with the council due to submit other funding bids to fully restore the building.
It is planned that work will start this month and will be complete by March 31 next year.
Sandwell Council’s cabinet member for leisure and tourism, Councillor Charn Singh Padda, said: “Oak House Museum is Sandwell’s most popular family-focused museum so this project comes at a crucial time as visit numbers continue to recover post Covid.
"Lifelong, formal and informal learning is at the heart of what we do, including delivery of educational programmes, and hands-on sessions.
"The restoration and structural works will enable us to continue to deliver these key community services, along with providing an important building block towards the full restoration of the building.”
On September 21, Oak House Museum achieved Arts Council Accreditation, which is the UK industry standard for museums and galleries.
