How Stowmarket's Food Museum is planning for the future

It hopes to create a new entrance with the creation of a new public open space and to develop some of its best known features - while preserving many of its oldest structures.

Museum Director Jenny  Cousins and Chair of Trustees Richard Lister are already overseeing the first part of these plans.

New toilets are being developed next to the museum's cafe and work is well on the way on the construction of a new bridge to the summerhouse/fishing shed on the large pond. 

Work to build a new footbridge at the Food Museum is now well under way. (Image: Paul Geater)

But future developments depend on architects drawing up plans and offers of funding - and a question mark over that has been raised following the publication of Suffolk County Council's latest budget proposals.

The Food Museum, which was established on council council-owned land in the 1960s, gets about 13% of its funding - around £100,000 - from the authority and this was threatened by the proposal to stop funding theatres and museums.

The new plans to re-instate support for the arts may restore some or all of this funding - but the museum fears the uncertainty caused by this change could hit their plans.

Ms Cousins said: "When we're looking at the development plans it makes it very difficult for us if we only know what we're going to be getting about a month before the start of the financial year!"

And the plans are impressive - the museum wants to move two long wooden huts that were originally on the USAAF base at Mendlesham to a new site on the top field.

The Top Field at the Food Museum could see major changes under the development plan. (Image: Paul Geater)

Other modern buildings near the entrance would be demolished to create a new public open space which would include the entrance to the museum. But the cafe, shop and other buildings would be accessible to those who didn't want to go into the museum.

The open space would be available for farmers' markets, food stalls and public events and an arched entrance would lead into the museum itself.

There are several challenges facing the museum - especially with two of its oldest buildings.

The medieval barn near the entrance needs considerable repair - its roof and walls have holes and some of the restoration in the early days of the museum is now causing its own problems.

Edgar's Farmhouse has been 'lost' next to a modern storage shed at the museum. (Image: Paul Geater)

And Edgar's Farmhouse, a medieval building moved to the site in 1974 has had other buildings put up next to it and is rather out of place. The aim is to move it to a different location in the museum.

The stable block next to Abbott's Hall, the central house of the site, is currently used for storage - but is a superb Victorian example of its type and the museum hopes to open it to the public.

The Stable Block at the museum could be opened to visitors eventually. (Image: Paul Geater)

And the former Mendlesham huts could become accommodation for volunteers at their new site - but will have to have asbestos removed from them first.

The new bridge to the summerhouse should be completed by the summer, and more work could eventually be carried out on the ponds and the islands in them.

Ms Cousins accepted that the development plan would not be completed overnight:  "We are looking several years ahead, towards 2030, but we are looking to take it forward."

Mr Lister has a bold vision: "We'd like to think this could be like Suffolk's Eden Project! That had £70m when it was built in Cornwall so our aim has to be more modest - but there is so much potential here."

The change of name from East Anglian Rural Life Museum to Food Museum may have been controversial - but it helped to give a big boost to visitor numbers.

Now the museum hopes that continues to allow its development plan to go ahead.