The Friends of Kinneil are dismayed by proposals, tabled ahead of Falkirk Council’s meeting on 30 January, to close Kinneil Museum later this year at the end of September.
The Friends are urging Councillors across parties to reject the proposals and allow more time for the Council’s own overall strategic plan for Kinneil Estate to be reviewed, which had been widely understood until very recently to be the previously-agreed position.
Councillors are also being asked to support the importance of the museum facilities to tourism, education and heritage – as well as being integral to the wellbeing of visitors and locals alike within the 200-acre historic parkland, some of which forms a significant section of the Antonine Wall World Heritage Site.
The Council recently celebrated Kinneil’s Centenary as a public heritage asset, and it is nearly fifty years since its museum at Kinneil was first opened. The Friends are calling on the Council to engage with Historic Environment Scotland (HES) and others on workable solutions to secure the viability of Kinneil Museum, Kinneil House (managed by HES) and Estate as a publicly-run attraction and much-loved historic park long into the future.
Providing a statement on behalf of the whole Friends of Kinneil committee, a spokesperson said: “We are angered and dismayed by Falkirk Council’s proposal to abandon Kinneil Museum and to pull out of providing their own reception hub, visitor facilities and heritage education at this 200-acre historic park which the Council will continue to own and manage. This is at the same time as some similar but arguably less significant sites in the area have been favoured with considerable public investment and resources for visitor facilities and activities.
“We hope that people across the area, as well as many supporters and visitors beyond, will once again help to campaign to keep the museum open as an integral part of a publicly-run attraction and centre for heritage education, within a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
“Our volunteers were told of this confirmed proposal just before Christmas, after asking formally at least four times over the past year for clarification. It was previously understood since last January that the Council’s adopted position was that it would review and deliver a new Masterplan for Kinneil Estate, together with Historic Environment Scotland (HES) and other strategic partners, before any major decisions. It makes no sense to decide to close one of the main facilities, before reviewing the plan for what the site’s facilities should be.
“Since then, we have been urgently seeking a meeting with the Leader of the Council, and have met this week with our local MSP, and with HES. We will also engage with our members and wider supporters”.
The Friends of Kinneil are a very small, charitable, local group formed in 2006 to campaign against a previous attempt by Falkirk Council to close the museum, since when there has been all the joint progress highlighted throughout this web site, albeit with some regular setbacks as well.
The museum was revamped in 2015 with the help of a significant grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, and is currently open free, daily except Tuesdays, 12.30-4pm. It not only presents the rich history of the Bo’ness area for local people, schoolchildren and visitors; but also provides the main official presence, wellbeing hub, and toilets, for tourists passing through on the John Muir Way or Round the Forth cycling route, for walkers and all others coming to enjoy and use the 200-acre parkland year-round and throughout the week, and for visitors to Kinneil House during the summer season.
Kinneil Museum is just one of the buildings caught up in Falkirk Council’s massive overall property review. The closure proposal is detailed at pages 15-16, 28 and 34 of the paper for Item 8 of the agenda for the Council’s upcoming meeting on 30 January.
Kinneil 
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