Jewry Wall Museum

Coordinates: 52°38′06″N 1°08′30″W / 52.634944°N 1.141759°W

View of the Jewry Wall site showing the Jewry Wall Museum on the left

The Jewry Wall Museum is a museum in Leicester. It faces the Jewry Wall ruins, and houses artefacts from Iron Age, Roman, and medieval Leicester.

The building is Grade II listed and located below Vaughan College, home to Leicester University's Institute for Lifelong-Learning.^[1] Construction began in 1960 and finished two years later; the building was designed by Trevor Dannatt.^[2]

The museum is run by Leicester City Council and is free to enter.^[3]

In 2004, as part of a scheme of cost-cutting on the part of Leicester City Council, it was proposed that the opening hours at the Jewry Wall Museum would be reduced. An interest group was created in response, and the 'Friends of Jewry Wall Museum' have been actively promoting the museum since.^[4][5]

Regardless of this, Leicester City Council reduced the museum's opening times to save money, and the museum is closed for several months over the winter.^[6][7] Councillor John Mugglestone rationalised the decision at the time, saying: "At Jewry Wall, we have more curators than visitors".^[6]

The museum was threatened again in 2011, when Leicester City Council announced plans to close the museum (along with two others in the city) to save money.^[8] This decision was overturned following a motion by the City Council's backbench Labour Councillors, led by former Labour Council leader Ross Willmott.^[9]

Notable holdings

• 
  Mosaic of Cyparissus
• 
  The Blackfriars Roman Pavement
• 
  The Norfolk Street Roman Wall Paintings
• 
  Tiles from Leicester Abbey

Notes

1. "List Entry Summary: Vaughan College, University of Leicester including Jewry Wall Museum". English Heritage. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
2. Pevsner, Nikolaus; Williamson, Elizabeth; Brandwood, Geoffrey K. (1985), Leicestershire and Rutland, Buildings of England, Yale University Press, p. 226
3. "Jewry Wall Museum (official website)". Leicester City Council. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
4. Jewry Wall Museum, Friends of, Current Archaeology, 2013, retrieved 17 May 2013
5. Catling, Christopher, ed. (29 March 2004), "More on museum closures", Salon, Society of Antiquaries of London, 85
6. ATKINSON, MEL (23 January 2004). "AXE TO FALL ON MUSEUMS AND ART". Leicester Mercury. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
7. http://www.leicester.gov.uk/leisure-and-culture/museums-and-galleries/our-venues/jewry-wall-museum
8. "Leicester City Council plans to close museums as part of cutbacks". Leicester Mercury. 22 January 2011.
9. "Leicester City Council makes U-turn on some of its planned cuts". Retrieved 17 May 2013.

External links

• "Jewry Wall Museum (official website)". Leicester City Council. Retrieved 20 April 2015.