A much-loved museum has thanked its neighbours as it prepares to reopen following a devastating flood.
Upton’s Tudor House Museum will reopen on Saturday, July 8 with a guess the artefact table, mouse trail and children’s crafts.
Seeing the museum open again will be a huge relief for the team of trustees and volunteers who have spent the past few months working hard to clean and restore both the building and the collection of artefacts it houses.
Trustee Diana Scott said a burst pipe in the attic was to blame for the flood.
“Early on Monday, December 19, after days of freezing temperatures, the museum cleaner Amanda Williams arrived at The Tudor House Museum in Upton on Severn to find it in total darkness, and the sound of cascading water pouring onto the ground floor of the museum,” she said.
“The trustees were alerted and arrived with torches to find a large hole in the ground floor ceiling and the back half of the museum under two feet of water.
“Catherine Badham, a neighbour, kindly rang the fire brigade who came and turned off the electricity, pumped out the water covering the wooden parquet floor and knocked out the dangerous broken ceiling sections on the first and ground floors.
“Catherine also put a Facebook message out which brought many offers of help from Uptonians with mops, buckets and towels.
“Amy Wearing from the Baptist Church came to help and organised welcome hot drinks and bacon buttys for the cold volunteers.
READ MORE: Upton's Tudor House Museum preparing to reopen after flood
“Museum volunteers arrived and took the extensive wet lace collection and mannequins home to dry out.
“Once the power had been restored, the full effect of the devastation was clear to see with ceilings down on the first and ground floors and extensive water damage to the newly installed kitchen and to many display cabinets, photographs, pictures and artefacts on both floors.”
In the past five months, various traders have been to the museum to dry out the timber, test for asbestos in the ceiling plaster, sort out the electrics, alarm system, plumbing, rewiring, plaster the new ceilings, decorate walls and plasterwork, repair, seal and varnish the floors and renovate water-damaged display cabinets and furniture.
She added: “The Trustees are extremely grateful for all of the help and support received during such a difficult time.”
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