Cogges farm museum wins reprieve (From Witney Gazette)

Cogges farm museum wins reprieve

A POPULAR farm museum, threatened with closure by Oxfordshire County Council, has been granted a reprieve - but only for one year.

There was outrage among fans of Cogges Manor Farm Museum, Witney, when the council last year announced plans to overhaul its museum service - including a suggestion that the 20-acre site could be sold for housing.

The proposal was part of a £250,000 package of cost-cutting measures which included compulsory staff redundancies.

advertisement However, a county council report today recommended it continues to subsidise the museum at its current rate of £250,000 for the coming year, while work begins on a three-year programme to bring in outside finance.

The museum allows visitors to experience life on a reconstructed Victorian farm. More than 1,600 people signed a petition to save it.

A campaign to save the museum was led by the Witney Gazette.