Survey starts for military views on new gallery

The plan is to move the Worcestershire Soldier Gallery to The Commandery in the city

People in Worcester and from further afield are being asked what parts of the city's military history they would like to see showcased by a museum gallery.

Plans have been drawn up to move the Worcestershire Soldier Gallery from Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum to The Commandery.

Paid for initially with £243,200 lottery funding, a spokesperson for Worcester City Council said they now wanted to hear from people about how the gallery could meet their needs.

An online survey has been started on the authority's website and several consultations are planned in the coming months.

The scheme is being overseen by The Mercian Regiment Museum (MRM), Museums Worcestershire and the Worcestershire Yeomanry Trust.

Royalist headquarters

Dr John Paddock, curator of MRM, said they wanted to hear from local residents and those interested in military history.

"It's a great moment to find out what people enjoy in our current exhibition at Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum and think about how they'd like to see and learn about Worcester's military history in future," he added.

The team previously said they were looking to apply for a full grant for the work this summer and Dr Paddock said responses from the surveys would feed into this.

Consultations will be held at the The Commandery on 15 April, at the Yeomanry Memorial Event on 26 April and at the Worcestershire/WFR regimental reunion on 7 June, organisers said.

In the English Civil Wars era, The Commandery was the Royalist headquarters during the Battle of Worcester in 1651.