(Article by Nick Spurrier)

Proposals for a new museum for Folkestone are under discussion within the town, following a report written by Sam Hunt, of the Kingsghurst Consulting Group.

The report was commissioned by the Folkestone Heritage Working Group* which has been meeting regularly over many months to discuss the possibility of setting up a new museum. It is intended that it will complement the History Resource Centre proposed by Kent County Council to replace the existing museum on Grace Hill.

In the recently completed report, Sam Hunt explains that a Museum in Folkestone could be sustainable with the present collections of Folkestone Museum serving as a base, supplemented, when appropriate, by material held by Kent County Council and other bodies. The collections are made up of art, archaeology, geology, natural history, social history, coins and medals. The archaeology collection could be enlarged by finds from the Channel Tunnel rail development.

Jan Druker, Senior Pro-Vice Chancellor at Canterbury Christ Church University and chair of the working group said “A new museum would further enhance the regeneration of Folkestone and encourage tourism. It could also bring the town’s history alive for the people of Folkestone and foster a sense of place and community, creating further opportunities for local people to study the history of the area“.

For a town of its size, Folkestone has an unusually large number of organisations with a heritage interest plus a good source of volunteers to staff a museum. Local Historian Eamonn Rooney says, “There is tremendous support for a museum in Folkestone, which has an astonishingly interesting history from the Roman Villa on East Cliff though the Anglo-Saxon settlement and medieval period to the development of its fishing industry and its rise as probably the most fashionable seaside resort in the country. It has also played an important part in the defence of the country.”

The Folkestone Heritage Working group will now look in more detail at the sort of museum Folkestone could sustain, at how it should be administered. Jan Druker said “There is a lot of hard work to be done, but this is a strong and diverse group with a long-term commitment to preserving the heritage of Folkestone”

*The Folkestone Heritage Working Group comprises representatives from Folkestone Town Council, Shepway District Council, Kent County Council, the Folkestone People’s History Centre, Folkestone & District Local History Society, Canterbury Christ Church University, The Creative Foundation and Canterbury Archaeological Trust.

For further Information please contact:

Nick Spurrier on 01303-240236 or email : spurrier@btconnect.com