Statement on Church Farmhouse Museum
October 1, 2012 2 Comments
Following comments about the disposal of Church Farmhouse Museum’s collection, Councillor Robert Rams, Cabinet Member for Customer Access and Partnerships, has said:
“We have taken a great deal of care to make sure that any historically important material, both locally and nationally, has gone to the right place. We have also returned items loaned to the museum.
“But this has left us with many items that were largely used for decoration in the old museum. There is no real reason for the council to hold onto this material, so we’ve planned to auction items with no specific local connection.
“The money from these items will be used to fund the upkeep and development of the retained local items as well as helping us to maintain and develop the local studies collection.
“Where someone has evidence that they donated items, and would like them back, we are happy for people to contact us and discuss this with staff. In any event we will make the catalogue for auction available on our website. If there are items on this list, which the donor wishes to be returned, we would be happy to remove them from auction. But we will need evidence that the item was donated and that the correct person is making the claim.”
Material from Church Farmhouse Museum, has been given to: The Holley Cornelius Collection at Bletchley Park, Barnet Museum, Barnet Council Archives, London Screen Archives, Lauderdale House, The RAF Museum in Hendon and the Museum of London. Other museums were offered material but declined to accept it.
“I am more than happy for Barnet Museum to suggest any more pieces they would like. But I think the idea that the council must forever pay to hold onto every single item no matter what, isn’t really practicable” said Cllr Rams.
A list of the items will be posted on the council’s in the next day or two.
Anyone with enquiries about specific items should email mike.fahey@barnet.gov.uk
Robert Rams 
Please tell us who has decided which items are of social or historical importance and which can be disposed of. Surely you would need to assemble a committee
The council operates to a disposal policy which was checked as part of the process a few years ago of getting museums accredited by the former Museum and Library Association. When this was updated we sought advice from the Museum for London, who confirmed that our policy was sound. In making decisions about disposing of items, it is this policy that we follow. We do also have in-house qualified curatorial advice and we contacted various experts in relation to specific aspects of the collection – such as the Hendon District Archaeological service