From Agatha Christie to ancient history: is Torquay Museum being taken for granted by locals?

The recent rescue of Paignton Zoo before Christmas has got me thinking about some of our other attractions that we all know are there, but us locals neglect.

The most significant of these, I think, is Torquay Museum. At an event I went to at the zoo last year, which around 100 residents attended, we were asked to put our hands up if we had visited to see the animals in the past ten years, and only 16 people did. I suspect if I did a similar survey relating to the museum, it would be far less.

And yet, Torquay Museum holds some of the most significant archaeological artefacts in the country, as well as an Agatha Christie collection which is unrivalled in the world.

I therefore decided to take a visit, and the results were both eye-opening and a little predictable. I had probably not visited for about thirty years, and to be frank, quite a lot of the museum does not seem to have changed in that time. But then, I suppose, for something that is dealing with 400 million years of the bay’s heritage, what’s 2-3 decades? 

I met with Clare Howe, the Collections and Operations manager, and Alexandra Hemming, the Senior Executive Officer, and they were refreshingly honest about the changes that need to be made to bring the museum into our current century.

However, there seems to be good news ahead. For the first time in years, and I suspect down to a lot of hard work from these two ladies in charge, the museum looks to be not making a loss for the first time in years. 

Just like some of the older hotels around, walking round the museum is a little frustrating, because the treasures it holds are frankly world-class, but you know with just a bit more investment they could be so much better presented, and the overall experience could be incredible.

"We need much more support," admits Clare, "There will be lots of changes in the next couple of years and these are needed to be successful in the long term.

"Our initial plans are to improve the visitor experience and some of the updated displays. However, we are really interested in working with the community to find out more what people want to see.

"It’s lovely to have visitors from around the world, but it’s the local visitors we really value.’

Entry costs £10 for an adult, or £5 for a child (and each adult can potentially take five under 18s); but once you’ve been in once, you get a free annual pass, so you can keep returning. This seems incredibly good value, and although I’d say you can probably take a good look round all the exhibits in around two hours, if you are particularly passionate about something, it would be a great way to fill different school holidays. 

Clare was a bit reluctant to let me take photographs of an old reading room they have, which is currently lying dormant, but as you can see, it easily has the potential to be an exquisite area for local people to drop into to read, explore, or research local history.

You can imagine the comfy leather chairs and the place already has that lovely evocative smell of old books. The vision for this would be to have an accessible ‘before the pay-barrier’ and become a quiet space for people to read, but also a really special events space. There is also a rare books library, which could be capitalised on, with just a bit more money. 

The museum is already used by the Torquay Museum Society, who have twice-weekly lectures on all sorts of topics every week, in the beautifully modern lecture theatre.

This was a revelation to me. I didn’t even know it existed. The society, which was formed in 1884 and which Agatha Christie’s father belonged to, is thriving.

The talks are £5 each to non-members, but annual membership is only £60 a year, or £100 for a couple. The lectures cover a wide variety of subjects - everything from literature, history, natural history and science. A quick glance shows recent lectures about the music of James Bond, Devon witches, the life and tides of the moon, and lizards around the world. (e-mail membership@torquaymuseum.org to join). 

The Society is clearly well-loved by Clare and Alexandra, as are the many volunteers who give up their time to help out. "We need even more of them though," admits Clare.

"Some come in for just a couple of hours a week, others a couple of days, but if your readers have any spare time we can put them to use, perhaps helping on the till, in the shop, helping with the continued maintenance of the listed building, or soon with cataloguing and conserving the many artefacts we have, which are regularly loaned out to places such as the Natural History Museum or British Library.

"There are over 300,000 exhibits in our museum, and the items related to the local caves here are particularly special."

Clare also reminded me that the purpose of museums has changed dramatically over time: "Whereas once rich Victorians built museums to help educate the poorer classes, lifting them up – now is much more about telling stories."

I suppose Victorian zoos were also quite similar in that they were originally created by rich benefactors to show the masses things they would never normally have the opportunity to view. However, in the 21st century, I feel both our Zoo and Museum have changed, but they can play a vital role in both educating and entertaining residents and tourists.

Our museum needs your help. Even if you can’t volunteer or want to go to a society lecture, if each one of us spent £10 a year visiting it, that would make a tremendous difference and we’d all learn much more about the Torbay Story. 

For more information visit torquaymuseum.org