News From Museums

The Ipswich Heritage Group continues to be a useful forum for gathering news from several other organisations such as Ipswich Maritime Trust, Suffolk Record Office and Ipswich Tourist Guides. There is usually a lot to learn from Colchester and Ipswich Museums Service. Although their Development Plan hasn't been formalised yet, it was heartening to receive the reassurance that, following the submitted bid for improvements at Colchester Castle, the next in line big effort will be bids for funding the proposed new glazed entrance covering over the courtyard and linking the refurbished Exhibition Gallery ('Art Gallery') with the main High Street Museum. This will re-invigorate the whole High Street complex which contains such a huge amount of fascinating and important material but has sometimes seemed a poor relation of the Mansion. It was also pleasing to hear that the curatorial staff is being brought up to strength with a new Curator of Archaeology and an Assistant Curator of Natural History.