Children from local schools using the Map Island in the Livesey's latest X Marks The Spot exhibition. © Southwark Council
Southwark Council has recommended that the Livesey Children’s Museum, which closed in February 2008, should be handed over to the Theatre Peckham Group.
Local industrialist Sir George Livesey gave the building to the people of Peckham in 1890 and, if the Charity Commission accepts the recommendation, the museum building could be converted into a rehearsal and workshop space.
It became the Livesey Museum for children in 1974 but was closed in February 2008 when Southwark Council ceased funding it as part of their budget cuts.
The Friends of the Livesey Museum joined forces with the Novas Scarman charitable foundation to put together a bid to keep the museum open however the council’s executive favoured the propsoal put forward by Theatre Peckham on December 16, 2008.
The Friends group had believed that their proposal was most in keeping with the original intention of Sir George Livesey and are devastated that their application has been turned down.
Bridget McKenzie, a member of the Friends of the Livesey, gave us her reaction to Soutwark council’s decision.
“We have no plans to challenge the decision at the moment but we will be contacting the charity commission to give them all of the background on our proposal so far,” she said.
“We were so disappointed as a Friends group because we are concerned about promoting high quality innovative learning in spaces that are free and open to the public.
“We had 3,000 petition supporters - the support was overwhelming and the community was utterly devastated when it closed.”
The Livesey Museum. © Southwark Council
The award winning museum, housed in a grade two listed building, had received 20,000 visits a year including 100 school visits.
Bridget said: “People in the area really did use the museum as a place to go, as it was not just a museum there was a youth group and a Surestart project, the Livesey was really providing for the community.
“Not only was it a place for the community but also it was in keeping with the original bequest. Livesey wanted it to be a place that Camberwell parishioners could go to further and better themselves. I disagree with the council who suggested that that the bequest had been changed when the building was turned from a library into a museum.”
Southwark Council hope that the Friends of Livesey will be able to work with Theatre Peckham if the charity commission accepts the recommendation.
Commenting on the decision on the Livesey Museum at the Southwark Council Executive on 16 December, Cllr Lewis Robinson, Southwark Council Exec Member for Culture, Leisure and Sport, said: “The Trustees had a duty to consider all options put forward. Even after the disposal option was ruled out we faced a difficult decision as we had two good proposals put to us for the future of the building.
"After serious deliberations focusing on the educational nature of the provision proposed, the financial viability and how the proposals relate to the old borough of Camberwell we decided to recommend the Theatre Peckham option to put to the Charity Commission.
"I respect the work the Friends of Livesey have undertaken to ensure the building can be brought back into use, and whilst their particular proposals were not successful I hope an ongoing relationship can be established with Theatre Peckham."
For more information go to liveseyfriends.wordpress.com and www.southwark.gov.uk.
