Museum trustees demand action from Exeter city counicl

The trustees of Topsham Museum are demanding action from Exeter City Council after 18 months of closure.

The council is the landlord of the museum, on Topsham’s Strand. In September 2024 the councilbegan work to replace rotten timbers, windows and roof.

But within weeks the council stopped work, claiming it had no funds to continue.

The volunteer-run Museum was therefore closed throughout 2025 and now faces the same crisis this year.

Since the closure the council has attended only occasional meetings with the Museum.

Trustees have recently suggested going down the route of a Community Asset Transfer - with the volunteers themselves taking over responsibility for the building and running the museum.

But the council has not provided the information necessary for such a transfer even to be considered by the trustees and volunteers.

Now a letter has been sent to council leader Phil Bialyk, asking that he unclog the impasse.

The letter says the museum has been a valued part of the community in Topsham and beyond for 40 years.

Before its closure it attracted some 10,000 visitors annually, benefitting the local and city-wide economy, and served as a community magnet for some 200 volunteers from across Exeter.

Looking ahead, it would also be a valuable part of Exeter council’s bid to become the UK City of Culture.

And the letter to Councillor Bialyk concludes: “We are passionate to celebrate our 40th anniversary with positive news about a collaborative approach between ECC and the Museum.”