Oak House Museum in West Bromwich set for £125k repairs

Councillor Charn Singh Padda said Oak House Museum was "Sandwell's most popular family-focused museum"

A listed building that is home to a "popular, family-focused" museum is to be repaired after a cash boost of £125,000 from Historic England.

It follows a successful bid by Sandwell Council for Heritage at Risk funding to restore Oak House Museum.

The West Bromwich venue requires "extensive structural and safety works, well beyond normal maintenance".

The first phase of the repairs should start in November and be completed by March 31, 2024.

The project would address the most urgent repairs, the authority said, adding that it intended to submit further funding applications next year to undertake additional work to fully restore the building.

Owned and operated by Sandwell Council, the 17th-Century Grade 2* listed site is one of the few surviving timber-framed buildings of its type in the Greater Birmingham area.

Oak House has recently been added to Historic England's At Risk Register, as there are concerns regarding its condition.

Sandwell Council's cabinet member for leisure and tourism, Charn Singh Padda, said: "Oak House Museum is Sandwell's most popular family-focused museum so this project comes at a crucial time as visit numbers continue to recover post Covid.

"Lifelong, formal and informal learning is at the heart of what we do [there], including delivery of educational programmes, and hands-on sessions.

"The restoration and structural works will enable us to continue to deliver these key community services, along with providing an important building block towards the full restoration of the building."