Wroughton – Doomed?

[will-haggle]

Now some rather disturbing news. From the latest Old Glory Magazine: Wroughton Science Museum is selling off tractors! Nothing on their website but they still have details of a Simar Rototiller.
https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/objects/co39333/early-simar-rototiller-simar-rototiller
Seems that Cheffins are handling the sale. Old Glory states “The collection is kept at the doomed Science Museum’s Airfield site at Swindon, which could be (Ed. Note: …. and was!) a wonderful museum for the Nation but the Science Museum has not exactly made much effort to resolve the situation there at all.” Grand plans made then abandoned. Mr. Frank Smith of Lincolnshire gave the museum 58 tractors for nothing in 1982. 4 Tractors sold by Chefffins on 22 October, these were significant parts of our heritage and we are left with no National Heritage museum of Tractors and Horticultural machines.
I attended rallies there and good they were too; Is the site doomed as they say?

• This topic was modified 3 years, 3 months ago by will-haggle.

[charlie]

I think the grand plans were thwarted when the Lottery gave the money to some cycle way project or similar.
The old hangars suffer from concrete cancer and lumps have fallen off making it unsafe to open them to the public.
Photo below of the old rotavator.

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[trusty220]

It will be a great loss if the site closes. I’ve been to airshows and vintage days there and it always used to throw up things that I had never seen before.

The last time I went was with Charlie to the opening of the Science Museum’s reading room and to see some of the exhibits there was outstanding- illuminated Medieval manuscripts sit alongside Barnes Wallis’ sketches for the bouncing bomb and Donald Campbell’s autographed photo’s of his water speed records. I do hope they don’t get rid of that collection, it is probably without comparison anywhere in the world!

[hdtrust]

Before going any further on this subject, is it worth asking the validatory of this report, Although Old Glory may have a far better way of reporting than the internet, they are still subject to media mistakes or not listing a balanced view!
As The Hall & Duck Trust we have to apply to the letters of the law, when releasing items listed in the Trust. They are stringent to say the least. The very same rules apply to the Science Museum,
The release by the Science Museum of I believe 5 items, does not equate to the immediate closure of Wroughton!
However I do think questions need to be asked and tabled at the correct levels to how and why this situation has come about. Without stating in depth the correct way of disposing of artefacts from accreditation lists. As far as I can see there was plenty of legal ways that could have been found without the sale by auction to the public.
Andrew Hall
Trustee The Hall & Duck Trust

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