Museum shock as four key figures quit

The foursome have declined to give their reasons. In a joint letter to the Observer, the foursome say they "feel strongly that it would not be appropriate to air these differences in public." But it is believed they have quit because of continuing difficulties over the 1.5m Lottery-funded scheme to extend Bexhill Museum's overcrowded Egerton Road premises to enable Bexhill Museum of Costume and Social History to move from its Manor Gardens premises, which have no storage space or toilets. The aim is combined exhibition space on the former swimming pool site in Egerton Park adjoining the museum which would also house the town's motoring heritage. Six years of work have gone into getting to the extension scheme to the point where it is hoped work can start in the autumn. But it was only weeks ago that contractors sunk boreholes to test the sub-soil. Egerton Park was created because the area is so low-lying it was judged unsuitable for development. The swimming pool had to be abandoned after subsidence caused it to break its back. The Observer understands that the tests have confirmed the need for piled foundations to overcome the problem and that the cost will eat into funds available for the rest of the project. The Observer also understands that delay in getting borehole testing undertaken is among a number of issues which have prompted the resignations. Society board member Megan Traice was responsible for administration. She had chaired the former Bexhill Museum Association for many years, was vice-chairman before that. Frank Chaplin had fronted fund-raising for the extension appeal and served on the executive committee. He remains chairman of the costume museum's trustees. Alan Beecher had headed Bexhill Museum's active special exhibitions service. Bexhill builder Brian Reeves had served on the project steering committee because of his knowledge of the building trade. In their joint letter to the Observer they say: "Despite our many years of active participation in the museum we find that its future plans, direction and actions are so at variance with our own views that the only recourse left to us has been to resign. We regret that such a situation has arisen between the Society of Bexhill Museums Ltd. and ourselves. "We have, therefore, while remaining members of the society, all resigned from the committees and posts to which we had been elected or appointed. "We feel strongly that it would not be appropriate to air these differences in public. "We have spent many hours over the past six and a half years working on the appointed committee helping to make possible the building of an extension to the museum in Egerton Park, which has been the ambition of many of us for many years than that, and we do not seek to denigrate that project in any way and do not wish our actions to be interpreted in such a way as to imply such an intent. "It is that we are unable to give our support to the project in the way that it has developed." This week Megan Traice declined to comment on the reasons for her departure. She said: "I love that museum. I have been associated with it since I went on the council in 1968. It was the subject of my Mayoral appeal 18 years ago. I would not want to say anything to harm it or the extension scheme."