If you register, you can do a lot more. And become an active part of our growing community. You'll have access to hidden forums, and enjoy the ability of replying and starting conversations.

Lottery turns down funding for GCR Museum

Discussion in 'Heritage Railways & Centres in the UK' started by Railboy, Dec 15, 2017.

  1. Railboy

    Railboy New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 10, 2016
    Messages:
    166
    Likes Received:
    238
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Hamburg
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    No good news from the planned museum in Leicester...
    http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/plans-new-railway-museum-leicester-925697
     
  2. Bean-counter

    Bean-counter Part of the furniture

    Joined:
    Jul 21, 2007
    Messages:
    5,844
    Likes Received:
    7,688
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Former NP Member
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    Not good news - and a cautionary tale for all involved with big lottery bids. I am trying to recall - I presume there was a 'Stage 1' pass, but now the project has been dropped at stage 2 level.

    I am surprised that the HLF didn't give the GCR and NRM chance to address the areas concern (clearly quite a bit of this has been going on) and keep doing so until they were happy. That they haven't may suggest some pretty fundamental concerns about the project, so perhaps the GCR/NRM need to try and learn from this.

    I wonder if the HLF would entertain an amended application?

    Steven
     
    2392 and 30854 like this.
  3. 35B

    35B Nat Pres stalwart

    Joined:
    Jun 18, 2011
    Messages:
    25,493
    Likes Received:
    23,731
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Grantham
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    I also notice recent publicity about the availability of funding from Camelot to good causes, and some of Peter Soulsby's charges. That makes me wonder if this is actually about the quality of the bid, or something else.
     
  4. GWR Man.

    GWR Man. Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 8, 2014
    Messages:
    2,197
    Likes Received:
    2,413
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Taunton
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
  5. huochemi

    huochemi Part of the furniture

    Joined:
    May 6, 2008
    Messages:
    2,751
    Likes Received:
    1,393
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    UK
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    Perhaps they did? The article quotes "[Sir Peter] claimed every time the GCR had answered their questions the HLF had invented new concerns", which sounds a bit one-sided, not to say petulant.
     
  6. Matt37401

    Matt37401 Nat Pres stalwart

    Joined:
    Jun 8, 2014
    Messages:
    15,330
    Likes Received:
    11,666
    Occupation:
    Nosy aren’t you?
    Location:
    Nowhere
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
  7. AndyY

    AndyY Member

    Joined:
    Feb 23, 2013
    Messages:
    433
    Likes Received:
    480
    This has nothing to do with Bridging the Gap. How about a seperate thread for Museum topics?

    Andy
     
    ruddingtonrsh56 likes this.
  8. 30854

    30854 Resident of Nat Pres

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2017
    Messages:
    12,172
    Likes Received:
    11,493
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Retired
    Location:
    Brighton&Hove
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    Those of us impatient at delays with the L&B application would do well to pay attention to events at the GC. Different application going to a different body of course, but it's indicative of what's essential to achieve a successful outcome, however frustrating the delays resulting from the slow and steady approach.
     
  9. Steve

    Steve Resident of Nat Pres Friend

    Joined:
    Oct 7, 2006
    Messages:
    11,930
    Likes Received:
    10,088
    Occupation:
    Gentleman of leisure, nowadays
    Location:
    Near Leeds
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    HLF will tell you that one of the golden rules of applying to the HLF is that you never say that the project will still go ahead if the HLF turns you down. It is basically saying that you don't need the HLF funding. Sir Peter is quoted as saying" “This is not the end of the project. We remain committed to it, and the challenge now is for us to find a Plan B and an alternative source of finance." and, in saying this has effectively just done that. Perhaps that was also said in one of their answering submissions.
     
    Martin Perry and Greenway like this.
  10. Sidmouth

    Sidmouth Resident of Nat Pres Staff Member Moderator

    Joined:
    Sep 12, 2005
    Messages:
    9,635
    Likes Received:
    8,303
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Alderan !
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    and sadly the door is closing for EU funding that has benefited lines in the past (WHR)
     
    Forestpines, MikeParkin65 and TseTT like this.
  11. Sidmouth

    Sidmouth Resident of Nat Pres Staff Member Moderator

    Joined:
    Sep 12, 2005
    Messages:
    9,635
    Likes Received:
    8,303
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Alderan !
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    Whilst the council was slightly different the closure of the nearby Snibston (sadly missed) still concerns me. @Anthony Coulls can probably best comment on the impact on the locality both at the time of opening and then ongoing . For all the investment the longer term financial viability of such museums needs to be addressed. I'd also question that an area that maybe is not a tourist magnet does such, a museum make it one as the proponents of the Leicester scheme suggested

    it would be interesting to know the bounce the SVR got from the engine house and how it has settled down now . Don't get me wrong it is a fabulous facility and allows people to get up close to the loco's whilst keeping out of ticket engines under cover hopefully saving a lot of deterioration from outdoor storage . rotation of exhibits keeping the content fresh and each visit my family make , my children have the engine house #1 on the things to do list
     
  12. toplight

    toplight Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 18, 2009
    Messages:
    1,351
    Likes Received:
    1,288
    Location:
    Swindon, England
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    It is a shame that they lost the money for this and I expect it now wont go ahead, but having said that from the picture of the proposed museum it looks a really ugly design. Nothing remotely railway looking about it, just the absolute worst of ugly modern architecture.

    Surely would it not be better for the railway to build something more akin to a new shed. They were going to rebuild the one they acquired from Workington at Loughborough and at least it would be something original that was being rebuilt and more useful for a working Steam GCR too and in the middle of the proposed linked up 18 mile future railway.

    The whole point of the GCR should be to see stuff running, not static.
     
    Last edited: Dec 15, 2017
    Rosedale, echap, 240P15 and 1 other person like this.
  13. AndyY

    AndyY Member

    Joined:
    Feb 23, 2013
    Messages:
    433
    Likes Received:
    480
    Whilst "The whole point of the GCR should be to see stuff running, not static", there's a lot of railway history and the artifacts that go with it which can only be shown to visitors in the context of a museum. I'm sure I don't need to itemise the different categories, but just have a look in the small museum at Loughborough. How many of these items could be displayed om a purely working railway? The passenger only sees the 'tip of the iceberg'. So I'm very much in favour of a museum. Which doesn't say I also wouldn't be happier with a building which looks the part. And the Leicester station site certainly needs something extra to turn it into a 'destination' rather than everybody simply go back on the train they've just arrived on.
    Andy
     
  14. Chris86

    Chris86 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 31, 2011
    Messages:
    1,329
    Likes Received:
    1,315
    Occupation:
    Safety, Technical and Offroad Driver Trainer
    Location:
    South Yorkshore
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    Surely this doenst necessarily preclude the GCR building museum anyway? Perhaps a less expensive building incorporating parts of the shed that they acquired a few years ago- would certainly get my vote.

    Chris
     
    Kinghambranch likes this.
  15. AndyY

    AndyY Member

    Joined:
    Feb 23, 2013
    Messages:
    433
    Likes Received:
    480
    Was the planned museum going to cost the GCR anything (other than people's time), or was the funding all hoped to come from the Lottery, the NRM and the council?
    Cetainly I think the GCR's own finances should be spent on 'Bridging the Gap' in preference.

    Andy
     
  16. Chris86

    Chris86 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 31, 2011
    Messages:
    1,329
    Likes Received:
    1,315
    Occupation:
    Safety, Technical and Offroad Driver Trainer
    Location:
    South Yorkshore
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    I apologise for my awful spelling/punctuation. Fat fingers trying to type in a phone screen.

    Chris
     
  17. toplight

    toplight Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 18, 2009
    Messages:
    1,351
    Likes Received:
    1,288
    Location:
    Swindon, England
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    I hate to say this but I think the GCR has completely screwed up on the whole Site at Leicester North, its terrible. The station was originally Belgrave and Birstall and it was in exactly the same style as Rothley and Quorn ( ie nice) . The buildings itself survived until 1977 when they were demolished and the final part demolished in 1985 and then the island platform around 1990.

    Then there seemed to be crazy ideas to build some giant terminus, now the museum etc

    It would have been far far better to have kept what was there and rebuild the station exactly as it was (ie same as Rothley etc) and just put in some run around loops. You can see some pictures here of what was and what was destroyed.

    The fact that it seemed to last so late and then get destroyed is particularly sad. You can see the blocked up entrance to the staircase on the bridge which looks stupid.

    Whoever made the decisions about it all really failed. Better to just miss out visiting Leicester North completely and concentrate on proper GCR at Rothley, Quorn, Loughborough etc.

    See lots of photos here.

    http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/b/belgrave_and_birstall/index.shtml
     
    Last edited: Dec 15, 2017
    pmh_74 and Kinghambranch like this.
  18. Matt37401

    Matt37401 Nat Pres stalwart

    Joined:
    Jun 8, 2014
    Messages:
    15,330
    Likes Received:
    11,666
    Occupation:
    Nosy aren’t you?
    Location:
    Nowhere
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    There was a plan to make Lecister North a minature Marylebone station back in the early 1990's, but a high pressure gas pipe put paid to that. I have to to to say the GC have always wanted to make Lecister North something more than what it is, they just seem to be a bit unlucky when they have the chance to.
     
  19. Reading General

    Reading General Part of the furniture

    Joined:
    May 18, 2011
    Messages:
    6,081
    Likes Received:
    2,217
    I assumed that the original building wasn't used because access from an overbridge is not ideal in every case.
     
  20. Kinghambranch

    Kinghambranch Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 20, 2006
    Messages:
    1,868
    Likes Received:
    1,588
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Retired
    Location:
    White Rose County
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    I must admit to agreeing with you. I am aware also of the increased risk of vandalism at the site, certainly a few years ago. I am somewhat relieved also that the "Olympic Swimming Pool" lookalike museum building probably won't now be built. All the designs put forward appeared gopping to me.
     

Share This Page