Ipswich Museum
Ipswich Museum is a registered museum of culture, history and natural heritage, located in a Grade II* listed building[1] on High Street in Ipswich, the county town of Suffolk. It was historically the leading regional museum in Suffolk, housing collections drawn from both the former counties of East Suffolk and West Suffolk, which were amalgamated in 1974.
Established
The original foundation of 1846, devoted primarily to Natural History, was moved to new premises in High Street in 1881. In about 1895 Christchurch Mansion, a large 16th-century house near the town centre in Christchurch Park, was given to the town. It was developed as a second venue under the same management and curatorship, devoted particularly to fine and decorative arts. Both are parts of one institution and draw on the same central core of collections. The entire service was merged with that of Colchester (Essex) on 1 April 2007 to form Colchester + Ipswich Museums. It is one of Ipswich's main features. The museum closed in October 2022 to undergo what is expected to be a 3-year refurbishment.[2] [3]
Recent organisation[edit]
Through a succession of post-War curators (Norman Smedley, Patricia Butler, Alf Hatton, Sara Muldoon and Tim Heyburn) the museum has passed into a more contemporary pattern of staffing which has varied in number and roles according to perceived priorities and financial restraints of different times. Local Government Reorganisation in 1974 merged the two counties of East and West Suffolk. Practical Archaeology then became the function of the new Suffolk County Council Field Archaeology Unit, which also houses the Sites and Monuments Record. The museum's former link with the Ipswich Art School and the Library Service was also severed as they were transferred to the County Council. The useful honorary office of president was discontinued during the 1970s.
Merger with Colchester Museum Service, 2007[edit]
In the first constitutional change since the public discussion and vote of 1853, on 1 April 2007 the Ipswich Borough Council Museums Service was merged with that of Colchester Borough Council (Essex), under the curatorship of Peter Berridge, and its staff were transferred to the employment of Colchester. The building and collections, however, remain the property of the town of Ipswich, the Borough being responsible for 50% of funding.[12] Ipswich Museum continues to be part of Colchester + Ipswich Museums (CIMS).
CIMS has retained Collections and Learning Curators, Collections Information and Conservation Officers in Ipswich to look after Ipswich Museum, Christchurch Mansion and Ipswich Art Gallery alongside the Visitors Services team. The Exhibitions and Business Support teams work across both towns. The Museum Service is overseen by the Joint Museums Committee, composed of councillors from Ipswich Borough and Colchester Borough Councils.
Renovation[edit]
As of 2022 the museum is undertaking a major redevelopment project, budgeted at £8.7 million.[13] The Victorian Society, a registered charity founded in 1958, has objected to preliminary visualisations of the interior as betraying the historical character of the space.[14] However, officers of the museum "have reassured heritage conservationalists that it will preserve the Victorian ambiance of its Natural History Gallery."[15]
Holdings[edit]
The Ipswich Hoard, found near Belstead in 1968, is now in the British Museum, but there are also copies of these torcs in this museum.[16]
Popular culture[edit]
The 1956 Rayant Pictures film The Secret of the Forest was a children's film featuring four children thwarting the attempt of some robbers to steal a golden cup.[17] Some footage was taken in Ipswich Museum.[18] The 2021 Netflix film The Dig follows the story of archeologist Basil Brown discovering the Sutton Hoo ship-burial. Brown, an employee of the museum, is regularly mentioned throughout the film and makes a brief appearance, although the actual museum was not used during filming.[19]
Media related to Ipswich Museum at Wikimedia Commons
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