Fleetwood Museum facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Fleetwood Museum
Location	Fleetwood, Lancashire, England
Built	1836
Architect	Decimus Burton
Architectural style(s)	Neoclassical style
Listed Building – Grade II
Official name: Wyre Borough Treasurer's and Borough Housing Departments
Designated	31 March 1978
Reference no.	1072398
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Fleetwood Museum is a cool place in the seaside town of Fleetwood, Lancashire, England. It tells the story of Fleetwood's past and its connection to the sea. This building was one of the first ever built in Fleetwood, way back in 1836. It was first used as the town's Customs House, where taxes on goods coming into the port were collected. Later, it became the town hall, and now it's a museum! The famous architect Decimus Burton designed it. It's so special that it's been named a Grade II listed building by Historic England.

A Building with Many Lives

The town of Fleetwood was planned by a local landowner named Peter Hesketh-Fleetwood. He hired Decimus Burton, a well-known architect, to design the town and many of its buildings. Peter Hesketh-Fleetwood wanted Fleetwood to be a big port. So, Burton designed the Customs House as one of the very first buildings, finishing it in 1836.

In 1876, the building became a private home for a person named Alexander Carson. He even added more to the building and called it "Wyre Holm." The customs office moved to another spot. Then, in 1889, the building became Fleetwood Town Hall. This meant it was the main office for the local government.

It stayed the town hall even when Fleetwood became a bigger area in 1933. However, in 1974, a new, larger council was formed in Poulton-le-Fylde. So, the building stopped being the main government office for Fleetwood. After that, it was used for other council offices and even a private school for a short time. Finally, in 1992, it opened its doors as Fleetwood Museum.

On March 31, 1978, Historic England officially made the building a Grade II listed building. This means it's considered "nationally important and of special interest." It's like a special badge of honor for old buildings!

What the Museum Looks Like

Fleetwood Museum has two floors. It's built from sandstone and covered with a rough, plaster-like material called roughcast. The front of the building has eight rows of sash windows, which are windows that slide up and down.

You can enter the building through two grand entrances called porticos. Both entrances are at the top of stone staircases. They have tall columns next to them. The entrance on the south side has round columns, while the north entrance has square ones. Between the two staircases, there are iron railings with pointy decorations called finials.

At the very top of the roof, there's a low wall called a parapet. It has fancy iron decorations and more finials at the corners. Below this wall, there's a decorative molding called a cornice.

The Fishing Boat Harriet

One of the special things at the museum is a fishing boat named Harriet. This boat was built right here in Fleetwood in 1893. In 1998, it was moved to the museum. It now has its own special building behind the main museum. The Harriet is part of the National Historic Fleet, which means it's a very important historic boat.

Keeping the Museum Open

The Fleetwood Museum Trust is a charity that started in 2006. Their main goal is to make sure Fleetwood Museum stays open.

In 2015, there was news that Lancashire County Council might stop funding five of its museums, including Fleetwood Museum. This was because the council faced money problems. The museums were supposed to close in March 2016, but they got a little more time until September 2016. Many local people wanted to keep the museum open. Fleetwood Town Council even said they were interested in helping to fund it.

The museum did close on September 30, 2016, along with the other four museums. However, the Fleetwood Museum Trust and Fleetwood Town Council worked together with Lancashire County Council. They hoped to take over running the museum.

Good news! The museum reopened on April 14, 2017. Lancashire County Council managed the museum for a short time. Then, the Fleetwood Museum Trust officially took over running it. The museum was open in 2017, 2018, and 2019. It had to close for a while in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But it reopened again in May 2021 and has been open since then.

See also

• List of museums in Lancashire
• Listed buildings in Fleetwood