Firm's fears after months of scaffolding hits trade

Cherryl Montrose-Matheson said it was not clear if the business would survive beyond Christmas

A business based inside a museum has said it has seen a 75% drop in sales due to scaffolding that has covered the building since April.

Ironbridge Candle Company, which has been a tenant of Jackfield Tile Museum for five years, has accused building owner Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust (IGMT) of not offering enough support.

The firm said it was facing the possibility of "not being able to make it until December".

IGMT said the scaffolding was set to come down from 24 November, two weeks behind schedule due to roofing works, but added that it had given its tenants prior notice and had worked to address concerns, including over signage and access.

The trust cares for 35 heritage sites in the area and the conservation work is part of a £5.5m project, funded by the National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF), involving a number of buildings.

Scaffolding at Jackfield Tile Museum has been up since April

On Saturday, Ironbridge Candle Company owner Cherryl Montrose-Matheson posted a video on Facebook voicing her concerns for the future of her business.

She said she had been "overwhelmed" by the response, with "heart-warming" messages and people coming into the shop to buy products.

Storm Claudia on Friday exacerbated the problems, however.

"I came in on Saturday morning to find half of my store in water," Ms Montrose-Matheson said.

"The sheeting that has been put up by workers to protect me from dust while they are banging on the roof acted as a funnel for the water so it gathered in the sheeting and acted as a waterfall."

She said she had asked IGMT for support for signage and clean-up following the heavy rain, but that she had not received a response.

Nicola Williams, who owns Kinki Glass, is also a tenant at Jackfield Tile Museum

Ms Montrose-Matheson is not the only tenant at Jackfield Tile Museum who has faced issues with the ongoing scaffolding at the front of the site.

Nicola Williams owns Kinki Glass, which runs workshops with fused glass.

She said: "People are not aware that the museum is open and that they have access to the other businesses.

"We do go out to events quite a lot, because we are fully aware of passing trade being an issue, but not everyone can do that."

Ms Williams said she had not received any communication about the scaffolding from IGMT, calling it "non-existent".

"We are about to be taken over by National Trust. We actually got an email a day after the press release was sent out," she said.

"We do not work for the museum but we are still tenants so it would be nice to have some communication."

'Minimise' impact

In response, IGMT said the conservation work had been "essential".

Karen Davies, Interim CEO, said: "Our team gave tenants at Jackfield Tile Museum prior notice of the works and throughout the process contractors have worked closely with them to address any concerns they have had. This has included installing additional signage and adapting visitor access routes.

"Any disruption on site has been caused by actions that have been necessary to ensure the health and safety of contractors, staff, tenants and visitors, our primary concern.

"While we recognise there has been some short-term impact for our tenants, we have done everything possible to ensure this impact has been minimised. All safe means of visitor access that could reasonably be provided were implemented."

Set within the World Heritage site, the buildings owned by IGMT are set to be taken over by the National Trust after a £9m government grant.

Ms Davies has previously described the takeover as "vital" to protect the future of the sites.