‘It was like the worst kind of déjà vu – but this was real…’

Milton Keynes Museum only opened its Ancient Gallery in January. Mere days later, fire broke out in one of the older parts of the history hub with billowing smoke filling the night skies.

Thankfully, things were not as severe as they might have been and recovery has been swift, as Museum director Bill Griffiths told Pulse’s Sammy Jones…

It has taken years of hard work for Milton Keynes Museum to launch its state-of-the-art Ancient Gallery.
This month’s feature was set to explore that process – starting with the rebirth of the Museum following its devastating fire almost 30 years ago.

That blaze – a wanton act of arson – destroyed half of the Museum’s collection.
But in a cruel twist of fate, the history hub now finds itself in recovery mode following an electrical fire which broke out just days following the opening of that new gallery.

“Little did we think when we were first discussing this article that we would experience another fire,” Museum director Bill Griffiths told Pulse.

“At the time of the first fire the volunteers had collected everything and so the loss was personal – they were affected in the same way as people who lose their homes with personal heirlooms and family photographs. Back then, the Museum was called the Stacey Hill Collection of Industry and Rural Life and the name perfectly reflected what the place was all about.

“Engines had driven industry and many boys growing up in the first half of the 20th Century dreamed of being engineers. An Engineerium was in the plans to house the engines and so it was those lost in the fire that cut most deeply for many.

“We also lost one of the projectors from The Electra cinema in Newport Pagnell. There was so much that I was sorry to lose,” he says, shaking his head at the memory, “We had three Victorian, wooden stereoscopic cameras that have never been replaced.”

And locally sourced items naturally have local stories attached to them: “The cameras were used by photographer Fred Bavey, who also took photographs from over the houses in Wolverton using a kite. His daughter too was quite a character,” Bill smiled, “She was a hairdresser, known for leaving customers having a perm whilst she popped out to her allotment, Unfortunately, she sometimes forgot about them!
“We still have Fred’s plate camera which will allow us to tell his story.”

Standing in the ashes of so many lost artifacts, and buildings, following that fire in 1996, many people would have given up. But anyone who knows Bill, and the Museum’s army of volunteers, knows only too well that walking away was never going to be an option – dogged determination and passion has always seen them through.

“The fire was felt deeply by all those involved with the Museum but especially the volunteers. “Many of them had spent decades, using any spare time they had, to build it into something that was worthwhile and much of their work had been destroyed in one night. What could they do? Walk away and give up? Do nothing and let others develop another plan, or set to work, clear up the mess and get on with building it back up again?

“Really, the only option was to get back to work and see it as a new opportunity and that is how the volunteers reacted. They were amazing – every single one.”

It wasn’t an easy clean up mission either; the remains of any items lost in the fire needed to be documented, and everything that had survived had to be cleaned from the smoke damage and restored to a display standard.

“The Museum had a lease with the Commission for New Towns (CNT), which had replaced the Development Corporation. They arrived with representatives from MK Council soon after the fire and confirmed that they would support a recovery plan. That was a huge relief.”
In time, the Museum recovered and grew into the wonderfully inclusive, charming place to have fun in, and learn from, that you see today.
But running the Museum is still a challenge, with many obstacles to overcome.

“There have been few times when it has been easy,” Bill admits, “The fire obviously had a massive impact but there was also the disappointment of failing with significant funding bids and, of course Covid, which might feel like a distant memory to some, but our visitor numbers are still in recovery.”

And then, when the Museum was riding high from the community support shown to its new gallery, opened just days earlier, in the early hours of February 5, fire returned.

“We have a local company that responds first to any alarms. Thank goodness we did as they responded in minutes. It was around 2.30am that my bedside phone went off,” Bill said, “I must admit that I wasn’t too well and thought that it was no longer my job to get up but the phone kept ringing and so I had to answer it. There was a confirmed intruder alarm, the police were on site but the fire alarm couldn’t be turned off.”

Bill hurriedly dressed and made tracks to the Museum to turn the alarm off.
“…and it was only when I got to the side of the farmhouse that I saw the fire brigade were there.

“It was like the worst kind of déjà vu – except that this was real. Eventually 10 fire engines arrived, one with the sort of ladder needed for tower blocks. This could get right over the buildings and monitor what was happening. It was a fire in the place where most of the electrical supply to the site comes in and it seemed an age before the supply could be turned off.

“The smoke plumes were dreadful, but, thankfully, damage had been restricted to the service room, as after our previous fire, the importance of plaster board in containing a fire was immediately obvious.

“We were incredibly lucky that there was only smoke damage to the artifacts and a couple of interactives were affected but they are already being repaired.

“The fire crews were brilliant and when time allowed they kept me informed. They also offered me more hot drinks than I could possibly consume,” he smiled.

And so, while the Museum was forced to close its doors for a few weeks to rectify the damage and make repairs, as you read this, it should be welcoming its first visitors back.

Business once again will turn to the future of this shining gem that is loved in equal measure by all generations.
“There have been many cultural initiatives that have been developed by the community – as the Development Corporation planned – but many of them have been taken over by others,” Bill said.

“I believe the Museum is the oldest and most successful venture of its kind in Milton Keynes. It was established, developed, and is almost entirely run by volunteers.”

Bill knows better than anyone the importance of those who give up their time to be hands-on – they are intrinsic to its success.
“Our Museum will only develop and succeed in the future if it continues to be supported by its amazing team of volunteers,” he acknowledged.

“Of course, it depends upon another group, too – our visitors and supporters. They rallied when news of the fire broke – our phone rang off the hook when people woke up to the news the following morning, and our social media pages were swamped with goodwill messages and offers of help, which buoyed us tremendously.

“We know that our visitors will keep coming and grow in number if we give them an enjoyable and relevant experience, and I can promise you, that is just what we aim to do.”

> To support the Museum and its work please visit miltonkeynesmuseum.org.uk and click on the ‘support us’ link.

Milton Keynes Museum is one of the best interactive museums, a perfect outing for all ages, staffed by friendly volunteers, and highly recommended by visitors on TripAdvisor. This feature was written by Milton Keynes Museum. Find out more about forthcoming events and see our opening times at: miltonkeynesmuseum.org.uk