Refining our collection

The 'Decluttering Preston Park Museum' project was funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF). The project aimed to find out if the collections we hold still align with the Collections Development Policy. Objects that no longer fit were removed from the collection. This process resulted in a more usable and well managed collection and has made space for contemporary collecting.

What is collections rationalisation?

Benefits of collections rationalisation

There are many benefits to this process which include:

• developing a new strategic approach to effective and sustainable management and development of the museum's collections
• allow us to better care for the collection
• identifying gaps in the museum's collections and making sure that we continue to represent Stockton-on-Tees and the Tees Valley
• making space for new, relevant, contemporary collecting
• opportunities for reuse and rehoming of objects that no longer fit with the aims of the museum, so that they can benefit the community
• increased research, learning and engagement potential with other museums

Find out more about collections rationalisation and why it is important for a museum on the Collection Trust website.

Decluttering Preston Park Museum project 

Preston Park Museum has been awarded £237,000 of National Heritage Lottery Funding as part of the Dynamic Collections campaign. 

Using money raised by National Lottery players, The National Lottery Heritage Fund supports projects that connect people and communities with the UK's heritage.

Thanks to National Lottery players, we can reshape and improve the management of Preston Park Museum's collection. We can evolve our collection to meet the changing needs of the communities around us, and to reflect more people's histories and experiences.

The project aims to:

• create a rationalisation process which is achievable, ethical, transparent, and sustainable beyond the life of the project
• review our current Collections Development Policy so it reflects new industry guidance surrounding disposal, and remains relevant to the aims of the museum, reflective of the community, and targets gaps within the collection
• identify relevant objects to go on display in an interactive and visible collection store

This will increase accessibility to the collection and improve the collections care of those objects.

The new store will be built as part of a bold transformation of Preston Park Museum and Grounds, which is set to open to the public in summer 2025. This is being funded after Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council secured £20 million for improvements to Yarm and Eaglescliffe from the Levelling Up Fund as part of the Stockton-on-Tees South Constituency.

Assessing the collection

The rationalisation procedure will include assessing the significance of objects, such as the object's historical and cultural relevance to Stockton-on-Tees, and how unique the object is within the collection.

We will complete a condition assessment, including how acceptable the current storage and care is for the object.

This case-by-case evaluation is important to increase collections knowledge, to rediscover unique artefacts and highlight new narratives.

Objects that no longer fit the Collections Development policy

Our aim is to see as many objects as possible, that no longer fit with our Collections Development policy, rehomed or reused within the community. We will do this by:

• transferring to another museum or other public institution, such as education institutions, community groups, local history group
• returning to the original donor
• recycling, donating to charity shops, or as a last option destruction