National Museums Scotland has announced that the National Museum
of Costume at Shambellie House, near New Abbey, Dumfries is to
close.
As a consequence of the economic recession, National Museums
Scotland, like many organisations in the public sector across the
UK, has seen a reduction in available public funding.
The very low numbers of visitors to the National Museum of
Costume along with high operational costs is no longer sustainable.
In addition, the domestic layout of Shambellie House places
limitations on it being used effectively as a national museum.
The decision to close the site has been taken following full
consideration of a range of options for savings across all National
Museums activity as well as comments received directly from the
public and at meetings with stakeholders in Dumfries and Galloway.
The site will not reopen for 2013.
Speaking of the closure, Bruce Minto, Chairman of the Trustees
of National Museums Scotland, said,
“It is with great regret that we have taken the decision to
close the National Museum of Costume. While this has been an
extremely difficult decision for the Board of Trustees, we are
clear that in the current challenging financial climate it is a
necessary part of a range of cost savings which ensures the
long-term future of our national collections.”
See the full press release here and
further information about the closure
here.