John Hastie Museum faces permanent closure

Apr 14 2011 by Sandra Walls, Hamilton Advertiser

STRATHAVEN’S historic John Hastie Museum is facing the axe after council chiefs decided to close the town’s popular attraction.

The closure is part of a cost-cutting exercise.

South Lanarkshire Council chiefs are now hoping to meet with parties interested in taking over the facility.

Council officials say they are interested in entering into discussion with any community or voluntary organisation within Strathaven that can put forward a viable proposal for a change of use of the John Hastie building.

A final decision on the future of the building will be taken in June.

Now, friends of the John Hastie Museum in Strathaven are gathering resources to launch a campaign to save the popular attraction, which holds hundreds of historic documents and artefacts from the town’s history.

The John Hastie collection includes items from Strathaven’s weaving history, Covenanters’ flags, and modern curiosities such as the famous jar of pickled snakes which has fascinated visitors to the museum on Threestanes Road.

According to the council, items from the museum would be displayed at other museums in the council area.

William Park, a retired Strathaven solicitor and resident with knowledge of the bequest, said: “Hands Off Our Museum was the message conveyed to the chief executive of South Lanarkshire Council on behalf of the many supporters of the John Hastie Museum.

“The council’s proposal, discussed at a public meeting organised by Strathaven Community Council, was linked with discussion about future use of the former Crosshill Primary School and also the former West Church but these are both entirely separate matters.

“Significantly, the terms of ownership of the primary school building – which legally could be sold by South Lanarkshire Council – are entirely different from the conditions on which the council own the museum, which prohibits any sale or change of use.”

The council are the successors of the old Parish Council who accepted the gift in 1916, and are considered to have a statutory duty to continue to hold and manage the John Hastie Park and Museum.

Mr Park added: “The strength of feeling among the friends of John Hastie Museum is such that every possible pressure must be brought to bear on the council to ensure that any closure of the John Hastie building is merely temporary and that the museum will be kept in good order for its purposes.”

Interested residents would like to see the council publicise details of the annual cost of running the museum and the calculation of financial savings which has led to the decision not to re-open it this year.

Mr Park said: “Residents could then assess whether or not the council’s decision is reasonable and whether the loss of the museum to the town and visitors is one which should be faced.”

Under the terms of John Hastie’s bequest to the town, the trustees were instructed to “apply his estate to purchase” and lay out land into a public park to be called ‘The John Hastie Park’ specifically for “The free use, enjoyment and recreation, and to deposit his guns and all gear within a hall or house for the use and recreation of the inhabitants in the town of Strathaven.”

The trustees fulfilled these directions and conveyed the property and balance of the estate as an endowment fund to the Parish Council of Avendale.