Sheffield Traditional Heritage Museum shuts permanently

A Sheffield museum which has been closed since February is to shut its doors permanently, its owners say.

The University of Sheffield, which owns the building housing the Traditional Heritage Museum, said it could not afford the "very significant capital investment" needed to maintain it.

The museum, which opened in 1985, is staffed entirely by volunteers.

Sheffield University said it would consult with the museum over the future of the collections housed there.

The museum, based at 605 Ecclesall Road, contains a variety of walk-through displays, including a replica kitchen from the 1920s and a variety of shops from Sheffield's past.

The University of Sheffield closed the building in February in order to carry out an assessment of the property's infrastructure.

A university spokesman said that, following the results of that assessment, it had been decided that it did not have the funds "to meet the necessary standards required of a public building".

"The university has supported the use of the building for over 25 years, but regrettably can no longer meet these costs or provide the capital investment needed," he said.

He added that the university would like to acknowledge the "hard work and commitment" of Prof John Widdowson, the museum's curator, and the volunteers who had given their time to run the museum.

The university said it would consult with Prof Widdowson about the future of the museum's collections, and would be taking expert advice from the museums sector.