Call for 'people's museum' for Durham

2:14pm Tuesday 30th September 2008

THE leader of Durham County Council has outlined his hopes for a "people's museum" to be established.

Coun Simon Henig championed the cause when he addressed at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland on Saturday.

He was at the stadium to celebrate the launch of the Great Northern Coalfield and the North-East England Mining Archive and Research Centre.

Coun Henig said that he hoped his comments would trigger a wave of ideas and public support that could see the project brought to fruition over the next five years.

He said: "People's museums are already popular attractions in places like Manchester and Edinburgh, and I'm convinced that County Durham, with its unique history and heritage could and should have one too.

"We already have outstanding museums like the Bowes at Barnard Castle, Beamish and the DLI Museum, in Durham City, but these each fulfil very specific roles.

"A people's museum could link up with and complement existing provision to fill in the gaps and provide a more rounded picture of life in County Durham.

"It would capture the tangible essence of the ordinary and extraordinary strands of life which collectively make up the rich fabric of County Durham, past and present."

Coun Henig said the people's museum could focus on the county's coal mining past, its amateur sporting traditions, its music, its traditional crafts, hobbies and music, its famous sons and daughters and its ordinary men and womenfolk.

"Clearly, we need people from throughout the county to come forward with their own ideas on what they believe are typical aspects of every day work and play," he said "We need to capture as broad a brushstroke as possible if we are to paint a vivid and accurate picture of our rich and colourful community heritage for future generations.

"This is going to be a long-term project that could take up to five years to bring to fruition, even if we can attract the funding for it.

"But I would like to see it become one of the early projects which the new unitary council takes under its wing after next April.

"I hope we can take a travelling exhibition around the new unitary county explaining the proposal in more detail and trawling for local ideas on how best to take it forward and what should be involved."

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