Greenwich Council has responded to calls to restore its museum of the borough’s history, after a petition signed by over 2,100 residents. The authority has confirmed that it is in talks to bring back a reading room for its archive service.
The petition, which was signed by 2,161 people, asked the council to restore a ‘properly functioning’ museum and archive service in the borough. The council’s original museum service, the Greenwich Heritage Centre, was closed in 2018 to make way for Woolwich Works, a new cultural hub in the same building in the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich.
The museum’s archive is now reportedly stored in Charlton and is only accessible through making an enquiry with the Royal Greenwich Heritage Trust (RGHT). The trust took over running the museum in 2014, which dated back to 2003 and included a reading room for browsing the council’s archives.
Mary Mills from the Greenwich Industrial History Society, who formerly served as a Labour Councillor for Greenwich Peninsula, started the petition. She said at a full council meeting on February 21 that she would like to see the council engaging in conversations with history groups across the borough on returning the service.
Ms Mills said at the meeting: “[In Greenwich’s museums], there’s nothing about us, there’s nothing about the people of Greenwich. There’s nothing about the amazing contribution historically that has been made by Greenwich technology, education and everything else. The world is a different place because of things that happened in Greenwich and we’re telling nobody whatsoever about it.”
Labour Councillor Adel Khaireh, cabinet member for equality, cultures and communities, said in response to the petition that he and the council leader had met with the organisers of the petition last November. He said that positive discussions had been made with the RGHT on increasing access to the archives.
He added: “As such, the Royal Greenwich Heritage Trust have said that they will seek to reconfigure the space available at the archives. Their intention is to provide a reading room facility to residents, with access to the archives on four consecutive days each month from Spring 2024.”
Labour Councillor Pat Slattery said at the meeting: “There are a lot of local historians, some of whom I know, some of whom are in touch with me in my ward, who really lament the passing of the archives. I’m not going to argue one way or the other because money is an issue as we all know, but I do think it’s something that we should all support if we possibly can.”
Cllr Khaireh said further meetings with the RGHT and Industrial History Society would be held in six months to review the arrangement. An RHGT spokesperson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that it was pleased to see that people valued the service it provided and wished to see the borough’s archive being maintained and extended.
They said: “The reality is that the facilities that the Trust were given by the council, in 2018, to house the archive are limited and any extension, to provide physical access for researchers, requires further financial assistance. The council has responded positively in providing some financial support, which will be an improvement on the existing provisions.”
They added: “We are now in the process of developing physical access to the archive for researchers on four consecutive days per month, from Spring 2024. We continue to engage with the petitioners and when opportunities arise, work to enhance the service. We continue to discuss with the Royal Borough of Greenwich the development of the archive service, along with the future of the borough’s Heritage Collection.”
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Picture 1: Cllr Adel Khaireh said in response to the petition that positive discussions had taken place with RGHT on increasing access to the archives. Credit: Greenwich Council
Picture 2: Woolwich Works, as shown in the Royal Arsenal area of Woolwich. Credit: Joe Coughlan
