Delayed East Wing to take off at last
PART of Maidstone Museum’s East Wing extension is to open shortly – but it will not be fully opera- tional for a few months yet. Completion of the £3.7m project was originally scheduled forApril but has been put back to Septem- ber. It means the con- tract time has over-run by almost 25%. The delays relate to design issues, com- pletion of the lift shaft, laying a wooden floor and, crucially, electrical supply connections. Maidstone Council might have to pick up part of the extra bill, councillors heard. Meanwhile, major efforts have been made
to woo Japanese culture and finance insti- tutions to part-sponsor the new wing.
THE EastWing extension – with its gold quilted-look exterior – is “dramatic and eye-catch- ing”, said former mayor Cllr Dan Daley. But the delays in opening
mean the museum has not yet been able to attract the big visitor numbers the council has been eagerly anticipating. With 40% of the museum closed for the past 18 months, numbers are down. But mu- seum manager Simon Lace said
works to secure external funding for proj- ects such as this. Trust member Cllr Dan Daley said itwas a “pivotal event” attended by 15 people with direct interest in Japanese culture, who were made aware of the quality of the mu- seum’s Japanese collection. He believes it will attract national and possibly interna- tional acclaim. A similar networking event is planned
once the museum reopens fully. Cllr Daley believes more funds will be forthcoming and he urged the council’s audit committee to “hold the faith”. He also referred to “interest at the highest
Japanese sponsors are being sought for Maidstone Museum’s East Wing extension, part of which is to be opened shortly
They were invited last month to a dinner
at London’s prestigious Carlton Club to help fund and promote the museum’s new Japan- ese gallery. The function was not paid for by the council but by Maidstone Trust, which
Museum awaits visitor influx
they were still relatively busy, especially compared to five years ago. In September, the new recep-
tion area, shop, classroom and meeting spaces will be first to open, followed by two upper galleries in October, ready for the half-term holiday. A big opening ceremony is planned
level in the Japanese community through the offices of the Japanese ambassador”. Efforts are being made to recreate an old photograph, circa 1925, of Lord Bearsted and the then ambassador wearing top hat and tails. Cllr Daley said he would try his best to “winkle out the present Lord Bearsted from his fastness in Berkshire” for a photo with the current am- bassador.
next March, just before Easter. Mr Lace also told the audit committee the redevelopment had been a good opportunity to rationalise the museum’s vast collection. About 8,000 items, which are broken, in- complete or duplicates, had been disposed of. Many books, some of the mu-
seum’s 2,000 costumes, as well as natural history items, have also been identified as surplus to the “core” collection.
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Warm-up act? AFTER closing this summer for maintenance work, the Hazlitt Arts Centre will launch its autumn sea- son with Hit Parade Heroes, a night with ’60s icons John Leyton and Dave Berry, on October 1. The Hazlitt reopens on September 19 following re- pairs to its boiler and heating systems.
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