Musical Museum Says it is 'on Brink of Closure'

Venue issues emergency appeal for support to secure its future


The Musical Museum in Brentford

Participate

Musical Museum Sets Diamond Jubilee Fund Raising Target

Edison Lighthouse Headline at the Musical Museum

The Musical Museum

tel 020 8560 8108
399 High Street, Brentford, TW8 0DU

twitter @MusicalMuseum

Sign up for our Brentford newsletter

Comment on this story on the

January 24, 2024

The Musical Museum in Brentford has issued a emergency plea for support which it has described as ‘desperate’ saying the venue is on the brink of closure.

Management now says that without sufficient funding the museum will close permanently as early as this April.

The institution has been based in the area for sixty years and has been a beacon for both music and technology enthusiasts, attracting visitors of all ages with its collection spanning tiny music boxes to the Mighty Wurlitzer theatre organ in its concert hall.

Run by a UK registered charity, it also houses a nationally significant archive of almost 20,000 Music Rolls and other rare artefacts.

Despite its popularity with visitors, evidenced by a five-star rating on Trip Advisor and a consistent ranking as one of the top-rated attractions in Greater London, like many museums the pandemic has left a hole in its finances which a return to business as usual has failed to fill.

When Covid struck it had embarked on a plan to expand its audience and further engage the local community, but lockdown forced it to close its doors to the public for the first time in half a century. Although the museum has seen increased attendance, escalating operational costs, exemplified by quarterly fuel bills exceeding £7,000, have pushed the museum to a crisis point.

The Musical Museum has now launched an emergency appeal directly to its loyal audience and the wider public to help safeguard its invaluable collection and cherished space for future generations.

Funds raised through the GoFundMe campaign will be channelled towards critical operating expenses such as lighting, heating, and essential building maintenance. This campaign has a single objective: ensure the museum's survival while it strives to attain financial sustainability.

The museum is one of the top-rated attractions in London
The museum is one of the top-rated attractions in London

Supporting the Musical Museum through this challenging period will not only help to preserve its collection for the nation, but also maintain its role as a valuable community centre, hosting a range of local activities such as Hounslow’s Well Being and Warm Spaces initiatives for the elderly.

If you wish to support the Musical Museum the link to its GoFundMe page is here.

Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More

This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism.

Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets.

We’ve always done that and won’t be changing, in fact we’d like to do more.

However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do.

We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area.

A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site.

One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute.

If you do support us in this way we’d be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor.

For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you’d like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site.

 

Bookmark and Share