Plans to move Swindon Museum and Art Gallery into town centre

Councillor Matty Courtliff at Swindon Museum and Art Gallery's A Celebration of Colour exhibition at the Civic Offices

Swindon Museum and Art Gallery is to be temporarily moved into the town centre.

The museum will move from its former home in Old Town to the first floor of the Swindon Borough Council (SBC) offices on Euclid Street.

The long-term plan is to make a permanent home at Swindon's proposed Cultural Quarter.

A public meeting is being held on 19 October for people to contribute ideas for the exhibition spaces.

The museum's previous site at Apsley House in Old Town has been closed since the start of the Covid pandemic, with SBC criticised by campaigners for leaving the town without any such facility since March 2020.

The council is now selling the site, arguing the backlog of maintenance was too high to bring it back into use.

The new home is larger, meaning more of its extensive modern collection - one of the biggest outside of London - can be put on show.

Coach parking will be available and a space will be set up for school learning, which will double up as an area for museum events aimed at families.

Councillor Matty Courtliff, cabinet member for culture, heritage, leisure and town centre experience, described the public meeting as "a great opportunity for local people to find out more about the exciting plans" for the museum's new location.

He said: "The additional floor space at the Civic Offices will allow us to bring our fantastic art and heritage artefacts to life for more residents to enjoy.

"The potential to expand our learning programme and have more schools visiting the collections is a huge plus point."

Swindon Museum and Art Gallery is expected to reopen on Euclid Street in spring 2023.

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