Shambellie House to close
Written by author on February 4, 2013
National Museums Scotland has today 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 smallest of the five national museums, the National Museum of Costume is open seasonally, for seven months of the year, and attracts 0.6% of total visits to the group of National Museums.
The Board of Trustees has fully considered a range of comments received directly from the public and through meetings with stakeholders in the region since the proposal was first announced. After careful deliberation it has concluded that it can no longer continue to operate the site, and it 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.”
The National Museum of Costume is currently closed for the winter and will not re-open for the Spring season.
