Fears for collection as shipwreck museum is put up for sale

Image: Shipwreck Treasure Museum, courtesy of Museums Association

There are concerns - according to the Museums Association - over the potential break-up of the Shipwreck Treasure Museum's collection after the venue was put up for sale for almost £2m.

The privately run museum in Charlestown, Cornwall, displays artefacts hauled from shipwrecks, including well-known losses such as the Mary Rose, Titanic and Lusitania. Much of the collection was assembled by the wreck diver Richard Larn, who is regarded as one of the UK's leading historic shipwreck experts.

The museum also houses maritime objects donated by locals and finds from amateur scuba-divers.  The collection comprises around 7,000 shipwreck and maritime artefacts in total. It is described as being “unique and practically impossible to duplicate” following Unesco’s introduction of a ban on diving wrecks up to 200 miles offshore.

The popular attraction is currently owned by Tim Smit, the co-founder of the Eden Project, and has been listed for sale for £1.95m by SBC Property.

The Shipwreck Treasure Museum/The Merchants of Charlestown is part of a group of companies in Cornwall owned by Smit Associates that also includes the Lost Gardens of Heligan, near Mevagissey, and Gillyflower Farm at Lostwithiel.

Smit Associates says it is selling the museum “as part of a consolidation around [its] land-based activities".

Features advertised in the listing include: the museum’s collection and permanent exhibition galleries; the current exhibition The Legacy of Shackleton, co-produced with the Royal Geographic Society; an extensive bar restaurant with a balcony and outdoor trading area; a retail shop unit; and an ice-cream cafe takeaway.

The property is being sold as a going concern with the contents included, but in the event that the business cannot be sold in its entirety, the artefacts will be auctioned off separately.

The collection is listed for sale by Lay’s Auctioneers in November, whose spokesperson, Mimi Connell-Lay, has said that “if the auction goes ahead it will be a major auction event and quite possibly one of the most exciting auctions we've ever held”.

But heritage professionals and the local community have expressed concern over the possible break-up of the collection.

Local writer Elizabeth Dale told Museums Journal that the sale of the museum was “incredibly sad, not only for the Charlestown community but for Cornwall as a whole”.

“We face losing a wonderful collection of artefacts, some of which are of national importance,” Dale said.

“The items that Richard Larn gathered together are not just a tourist attraction, they are a wonderful educational resource for local schools and it would be a real shame to see it broken up. Collections like this do not belong to just one person, museums are the guardians of our collective heritage.”

Dale also expressed concern over the fate of objects donated to the museum by the local community. “Sadly there are also items in the museum that I understand were donated by local people who I am sure never expected to see them being sold,”

she said.

There are also fears for the site itself. Although not a listed building, the site is historically important and has unique features including a complex network of tunnels dating from its time as a 19th-century China clay store.

“There is the potential for a lot of damage to be done to the heart of Charlestown if it was developed in an unsympathetic way,” said Dale.

“It is a very disappointing situation and the news of the sale, just three months before it is due to take place, gives very little time for local people to raise funds to try and save some of the items.”

A statement issued on behalf of Smit Associates Ltd and The Merchants of Charlestown said: “We can confirm that the Shipwreck Treasure Museum/The Merchants of Charlestown attraction has just gone on sale.

“The museum was established nearly 50 years ago and we are proud to have been owners and custodians of it and its important maritime collections since 2015.

“We have decided to offer the business for sale as part of a consolidation around the land-based activities of Smit Associates Ltd, including The Lost Gardens of Heligan.

“The Shipwreck Museum/The Merchants of Charlestown currently employs four people full-time and we hope that these jobs will be preserved when a sale progresses. In the meantime, the museum and the Rebellion restaurant remain fully open and we are continuing to welcome visitors.

“In the event that we are unable to sell the business in its entirety, we have a further contingency that will see the collection go to auction in November with the building sold separately.

“We are currently reviewing all artefacts within the Shipwreck Treasure Museum’s collection and the Charlestown Heritage Centre archives with the intention of finding them suitable new homes in due course.

“We hope that some items with specific heritage interest to Charlestown will remain within the community and are working with various organisations and partners to enable this.”