Agenda item

The Joint Committee considered the outline design proposals for the Commandery.

Philippa Tinsley, Senior Curator - Collections and Interpretation introduced the report and commented that:

·         The service had been working with the award winning conservation architects GUM since April 2016 on the design for the Commandery development

·         As part of their brief, GUM had been asked to look at the presence of the Commandery on the street. GUM had identified enlivening the courtyard area as a key feature of the redesign of the entrance to provide a single point of entry before paying for entry to the museum

·         GuM had recommended changes to the café and shop but funding had not yet been allocated – Museums Worcestershire proposed working on a business plan for these commercial elements

·         It was intended that the Great Hall would become the focal point of the building and GUM were proposing to make the room more animated with large projection on the walls. As the focal point of the museum it was intended to provide different routes running off the Great Hall to tell different stories relevant to the building

·         The offer would include the specific story of the Battle of Worcester and its impact nationally. Relevant items from the collection had been identified to integrate into the museum space

·         Specific rooms would be set aside to tell the Parliamentarian and Royalist stories. A room would also be set aside for the end of battle story. A space would be created to look at how the English Civil War had led to the creation of modern-day democracy

·         On completion of a particular story, visitors would be directed back to the Great Hall to choose another story/route to follow should they so wish

·         GUM had been asked to look at the visitor experience to improve the social experience of the visit for example through the use of badges/stickers and mini guide books 

In the ensuing debate, the following principal points were made:

·         In response to a query, Philippa Tinsley commented that HLF funding would be sought for the development plans. HLF were keen to see local investment in plans of this type

·         Officers and members had visited the Richard III museum in Leicester to see whether any lessons could be learnt for the offer at the Commandery

·         Had consideration been given to improving the canal side frontage of the building? Philippa Tinsley stated that GUM were keen to extend the café along the canal side and create an entrance for special groups which would allow them access to their own outside space 

·         In response to a query concerning the possible increase in the use of the canal in the future, Philippa Tinsley commented that it was important to create links from the canal to the Commandery and the proposals to improve the canal side access would help

·         Was there a limited amount of teaching of the English Civil War in schools? Philippa Tinsley stated that there were still a number of schools studying the English Civil War as part of their curriculum, in particular teaching the concept of democracy to younger children. It was added that conversations had been held with GUM about the inclusion of the story of democracy in the offer at the Commandery

·         Would it be possible to link the Battle of Worcester with a number of trails in the city and beyond? Philippa Tinsley indicated that GUM had been asked to look at 3 potential trails: 1) a city centre trail; 2) a longer family trail – up and down the River Severn to the Cathedral; and 3) a 6 mile trail through the battlefield to Powick

·         Had discussions taken place with partner organisations about providing support for the plans for the Commandery? Iain Rutherford, Museums General Manager commented that discussions had been held with the Battle of Worcester Partnership in particular

·         What was the timescale for the first phase of the development plans? Philippa Tinsley commented that it was anticipated that the first phase would be launched at Easter 2017. Helen Large,  Marketing & Events Manager added that it was important that the opening of the building coincided with the tourism season

·         Were any slides or cine film available from the Commandery exhibition held in 1984? Philippa Tinsley indicated that the service had kept the documents from that exhibition however she was not sure whether any slides or cine film had been retained

·         Iain Rutherford explained that some of the major changes to the fabric of the building had already been undertaken for example alterations to the disabled access

·         Was it intended to undertake further public focus groups to discuss the proposed redevelopment plans before the official launch? Helen Large indicated that a focus group had been created at the concept phase and a favourable response had been received. She would look at the possibility of establishing a further focus group before the launch

·         Had officers visited the English Civil War exhibition at Newark? Philippa Tinsley stated that the Newark offer had been visited and the positivity of the project was noted, particularly that the whole town of Newark were involved in promoting and supporting it. It was noted further that the promoters of the exhibition were keen to work in partnership with the joint service

·         Had officers been in contact with Worcester BID and Visit Worcester? Helen Large indicated that contact had been made with the City Council Tourism Manager and the Leader of the City Council. Contact would be made with other groups following the decision at this meeting and a programme of events determined

·         In response to a query, Helen Large commented that the aim of the redevelopment plans was to build local pride in the Commandery

·         Had officers contacted the Civic Society to link the project into the heritage trail? Helen Large indicated that an audit would need to be undertaken of all the trails to avoid duplication      

·         A presentation to all the relevant local partnership groups on the project would be helpful

·         In response to a query, Iain Rutherford explained that the next stage would be to report the cost and phasing projections to the City Council for a decision. A project board had been established at the City Council and any variations to the plans would be reported back to the Joint Committee.

RESOLVED that:

a)    The outline design proposals for the Commandery be approved;

b)    The Joint Museums Manager be granted delegated authority to develop a cost plan for approval by Worcester City Council as the commissioning organisation; and

c)    Further update reports be brought back to the Joint Committee on a regular basis.