Free entry to be scrapped at five Birmingham museums

Free entry is going to be scrapped at five museums in Birmingham.

Charges have come against a backdrop of £212m savings across the city council and the alternative was to close one or more sites, the authority said.

Aston Hall, Blakesley Hall, Soho House and the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter will charge £4 for adults.

Adults will pay £3 at Sarehole Mill, described as a smaller site by the council, which said under 16s would have free entry at the locations.

It added the decision to introduce charges was made after "every other option" had been explored and there would be a number of free days at every site throughout the year.

The museums and heritage services section has to make "significant savings" of £1.2m for 2011/12, of which £250,000 would need to come from community museums, the council said.

It added there had been investment in its community museums in recent years of more than £30m and the authority was still spending £850,000 on the service in 2011/12.