Bitter blow for museum campaigners

Nov 16 2011 by Shona Mitchell, East Kilbride News

COMMUNITY groups which were set up to take over two closed museums look set to be dealt a bitter blow.

Hunter House Museum in Calderwood and the John Hastie Museum in Strathaven shut their doors earlier this year as part of a South Lanarkshire Council budget-cutting exercise.

As a result, community groups formed in an attempt to allow local volunteers to run both museums, thus ensuring visitors could continue to enjoy them for years to come.

However, the council are today (Wednesday) expected to agree to transfer Hunter House to Calderwood Baptist Church and the John Hastie Museum to a local amateur football club, Strathaven Dynamos.

The council received four applications from parties interested in Hunter House, which is a grade ‘A’ listed building, two from property developers, one from EK Development Trust – who want to retain it as a museum/history centre – and one from Calderwood Baptist Church, who plan to use it as a counselling centre.

The Development Trust battled to save the museum from closure and, after being unsuccessful, decided to try and take it on to create a multi-use community hub and ensure the exhibitions featuring East Kilbride’s most famous brothers were not lost.

However, South Lanarkshire Council are opting to transfer it to the church, who had been using the building for counselling for two years prior to its closure.

They also plan to create an events room, a cafe and a large seminar room.

John Hastie Museum Trust are also set to be disappointed after months of hard work as today could see plans being made to transfer it to Strathaven Dynamos.

The club hope to use the grade ‘C’ listed building as a clubhouse, with exhibition area, first aid room and meeting rooms.

The Museum Trust wanted to retain the property as a museum for the people of the area.

A spokeswoman for the EK Development Trust told the News: “Naturally we would be disappointed to lose an important piece of our national heritage after leading the community campaign to save it.

“It appears to be South Lanarkshire’s equivalent of selling off Burns Cottage.

“However, we will respond more fully next week after learning more details of the other bids and after councillors take the final decision.”