Today the Merchant’s House announced that following a detailed inspection by experts the House was cleared to be re-opened in a few weeks time.
The Trust issued the following statement:
The trustees of The Merchant’s House have today agreed to reopen the house after it was closed in mid-March. The decision follows a detailed inspection of the whole house by the Trust’s consultant architect and structural engineers, the first such survey for 20 years. The only significant problems they identified were slight movements in the Great Staircase and the two fireplaces in the Panelled Room, all of which had been observed earlier by Trust staff.
Props have been inserted to secure everything and ensure that visitors can once again enjoy the whole house. The architect and structural engineers are now designing permanent supporting fixtures which will be installed later this year. Trust staff are now planning the re-opening of the house for mid-June.
Alison Galvin-Wright, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, said “This two months closure has been unfortunate and we regret the inconvenience it has caused. But we have now got the green light to re-open the house and will be doing so very soon. We are most grateful to Marlborough Town Council and St Peter’s Trust for enabling us to relocate some of our regular programme of events.”
Kim Wakeham, Trust Manager, added. ”I am most grateful to all our staff and volunteers for their understanding and full co-operation during this unexpected experience. We are all keen to resume normal operations.”
Customer Support Coordinator – Adam Matthew Digital, Marlborough
