Norfolk Museums Service

Last updated

Norfolk Museums Service
Formation1974;50 years ago (1974)
PurposeHeritage and conservation
Headquarters Shirehall, Norwich
Head of service
Steve Miller
Website www.museums.norfolk.gov.uk

Norfolk Museums Service (NMS), formerly Norfolk Museums and Archaeology Service (NMAS), [1] is a county-wide museums service that presides over ten museums in Norfolk, operated by Norfolk County Council and headed by the council's Director of Culture and Heritage, Steve Miller. [2] It notably runs Norwich Castle Museum, Strangers' Hall, and the Time and Tide Museum, and also operates a study centre at Shirehall.

Contents

History

Norfolk Museums Service came into existence in 1974. Norfolk's County Council and its district councils agreed to delegate their authority for museums to a Joint Museums Committee and to establish a county-wide museums service. [3]

In 2011, it was proposed by Conservatives in the County Council that the service should be given to a charitable trust in order to save £160,000 from the council's budget, as the organisation was under pressure to save £650,000 in four years. [4] [5] Councillors voted not to go ahead with the plan in January 2012, with leader of the Labour group George Nobbs particularly opposing the measure. [6]

In June 2013, Steve Miller, chief executive of the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust and member of the European Cultural Parliament, became the new head of the NMS, after Vanessa Trevelyan retired from the position in March. [7] Robin Hanley controlled the service in the interim. [8]

Following the attempted theft of a rhino horn from Norwich Castle in 2012 and a successful theft of items associated with Admiral Lord Nelson valued at £36,800 five days later, as well as six more items stolen between March 2012 and December 2013, councillors criticised the NMS for a lack of security. A security review was held at the service's ten museums, leading to an extension of CCTV coverage and alarm systems in some of the museums. [2]

The years of 2017-18 brought record visitor numbers for the service, with 426,110 people visiting NMS museums between April 2017 and March 2018, accounting for a 9% rise. Norwich Castle accounted for half of these visitors, and Time and Tide Museum's visitors increased by 22%. [9]

In 2022, the decreased budget available to the NMS, which was cited to be a result of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, reduced public funding and the prospect of an Arts Council grant cut, led to expectations that the service would overspend by £850,000, 40% of its approved budget, that year, and that it would also reduce its opening hours. [10] Two days later, the NMS was awarded £4.1 million from the Arts Council. [11]

Museums

The NMS operates 10 different museums around Norfolk, three of which are in Norwich and three in Great Yarmouth: [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norfolk</span> County of England

Norfolk is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and east, Cambridgeshire to the west, and Suffolk to the south. The largest settlement is the city of Norwich.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Yarmouth</span> Seaside town in Norfolk, England

Great Yarmouth, often called Yarmouth, is a seaside town which gives its name to the wider Borough of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, UK; it straddles the River Yare and is located 20 miles (32 km) east of Norwich. Its fishing industry, mainly for herring, shrank after the mid-20th century and has all but ended. North Sea oil from the 1960s supplied an oil-rig industry that services offshore natural gas rigs; more recently, offshore wind power and other renewable energy industries have ensued.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cromer</span> Coastal town in Norfolk, England

Cromer is a coastal town and civil parish on the north coast of the English county of Norfolk. It is 23 miles north of Norwich, 116 miles north-northeast of London and four miles east of Sheringham on the North Sea coastline. The local government authorities are North Norfolk District Council, whose headquarters is on Holt Road in the town, and Norfolk County Council, based in Norwich. The civil parish has an area of 4.66 km2 and at the 2011 census had a population of 7,683.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thetford</span> Human settlement in England

Thetford is a market town and civil parish in the Breckland District of Norfolk, England. It is on the A11 road between Norwich and London, just east of Thetford Forest. The civil parish, covering an area of 29.55 km2 (11.41 sq mi), in 2011 had a population of 24,340.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broadland</span> Non-metropolitan district in England

Broadland is a local government district in Norfolk, England, named after the Norfolk Broads. Its council is based at the Broadland Business Park on the outskirts of Norwich. The district includes the towns of Aylsham, Reepham, Sprowston and Thorpe St Andrew. Several of the district's settlements form part of the Norwich built-up area, lying outside the city's boundaries to the north-west and north-east. The district also includes numerous villages and surrounding rural areas. Some eastern parts of the district lie within The Broads.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Breckland District</span> Non-metropolitan district in England

Breckland is a local government district in Norfolk, England. Its council is based in Dereham, although the largest town is Thetford. The district also includes the towns of Attleborough, Swaffham and Watton, along with numerous villages and surrounding rural areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Norfolk</span> District in Norfolk, England

North Norfolk is a local government district in Norfolk, England. Its council is based in Cromer, and the largest town is North Walsham. The district also includes the towns of Fakenham, Holt, Sheringham, Stalham and Wells-next-the-Sea, along with numerous villages and surrounding rural areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Borough of Great Yarmouth</span> Non-metropolitan district in England

The Borough of Great Yarmouth is a local government district with borough status in Norfolk, England. It is named after its main town, Great Yarmouth, and also contains the town of Gorleston-on-Sea and a number of villages and rural areas, including part of The Broads. Other notable settlements include Caister on Sea, Hemsby, Hopton-on-Sea and Winterton-on-Sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norfolk Constabulary</span> English territorial police force

Norfolk Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing Norfolk in East Anglia, England. The force serves a population of 908,000 in a mostly rural area of 2,079 square miles (5,380 km2), including 90 miles (140 km) of coastline and 16 rivers, including the Broads National Park. Headquartered in Wymondham, Norfolk is responsible for the City of Norwich, along with King's Lynn, Great Yarmouth and Thetford. As of March 2023, the force has a strength of 1,897 police officers, 163 special constables, 1,318 police staff/designated officers, and 103 police support volunteers. The chief constable is currently Paul Sanford, and the police and crime commissioner is Giles Orpen-Smellie (Conservative).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Norfolk</span> Aspect of history

Norfolk is a rural county in the East of England. Knowledge of prehistoric Norfolk is limited by a lack of evidence — although the earliest finds are from the end of the Lower Paleolithic period. Communities have existed in Norfolk since the last Ice Age and tools, coins and hoards such as those found at Snettisham indicate the presence of an extensive and industrious population.

The following are lists of recreational walks in Norfolk, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A149 road</span> Road in Norfolk, linking Kings Lynn and Great Yarmouth

The A149 is commonly known as "The Coast Road" to local residents and tourists, as this road runs along the North Norfolk coast from King's Lynn to Great Yarmouth, via coastal villages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service</span> Statutory fire and rescue service

Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS) is the statutory fire and rescue service for the county of Norfolk in the east of England. The county consists of around 870,100 people, covering the 4th largest area in England with 2,074 square miles including 200 miles of inland waterways, 90 miles of coastline and 6,125 miles of roads. The county city is Norwich with other major towns including Great Yarmouth, King's Lynn and Thetford. Norfolk has one of the 20 Urban Search and Rescue teams across England and Wales which were set up in response to the 9/11 attacks. The teams, including Norfolk, have the capacity to deal with two simultaneous incidents across the UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Runton Mammoth</span>

The West Runton Mammoth is a fossilized skeleton of a steppe mammoth found in the cliffs of West Runton in the county of Norfolk, England in 1990. The find is the largest nearly complete mammoth skeleton known, and is the oldest found in the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norfolk County Council</span> Local government for Norfolk, England

Norfolk County Council is the top-tier local government authority for Norfolk, England. Its headquarters are in the city of Norwich.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009 Norfolk County Council election</span>

The Norfolk County Council election took place on 4 June 2009, coinciding with local elections for all county councils in England.

Inspiration Trust is a multi-academy trust of academies and free schools in East Anglia, England. The trust was founded by Theodore Agnew, Baron Agnew of Oulton as the East Norfolk Academy Trust in 2012, changing its name to the Inspiration Trust in 2013. Although technically a limited company, as a multi-academy trust the company is an exempt charity, principally regulated by the Department for Education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Norfolk County Council election</span>

The 2021 Norfolk County Council election took place alongside the other 2021 local elections. 83 of the 84 seats to Norfolk County Council were elected. One seat, Sewell in Norwich, had its election delayed to June 17 after Eve Collishaw, the Conservative candidate, died during the election campaign

References

  1. ↑ Merriman, Nick (1 March 2008). "Museum collections and sustainability". Cultural Trends. 17 (1): 3–21. doi:10.1080/09548960801920278. ISSN   0954-8963.
  2. 1 2 "Norfolk Museums Service defends security record despite continuing thefts". BBC News. 27 August 2014. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  3. 1 2 "Norfolk Museums Service". Current Archaeology . 1 March 2000. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  4. ↑ "Norfolk's museums could be funded by charitable trust". BBC News. 7 July 2011. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  5. ↑ Grimmer, Dan (2 January 2012). "Controversy over Norfolk museum shake-up plans". Eastern Daily Press. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  6. ↑ "Norfolk museums charitable trust plan rejected by councillors". BBC News. 14 January 2012. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  7. ↑ Stephens, Simon (19 March 2013). "Steve Miller to head Norfolk Museums and Archaeology Service". Museums Association . Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  8. ↑ Leggett, Victoria (14 March 2013). "New boss for Norfolk museums services appointed". Norwich Evening News. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  9. ↑ "Norfolk museums celebrate record visitor numbers". ITV News . 26 April 2018. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  10. ↑ "Norfolk Museums: Squeezed budgets threaten museums' opening hours". BBC News. 3 November 2022. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  11. ↑ "Arts Council funding: Cultural groups in East of England get £71m". BBC News. 5 November 2022. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.