East Riding of Yorkshire Council museums, archives, and Treasure House set to reopen

Following the government announcement last week, East Riding of Yorkshire Council has issued updates about the first phase of the reopening of its museums including Goole, Beverley Guildhall and the Treasure House, as well as the archives service.
Treasure House in BeverleyTreasure House in Beverley
Treasure House in Beverley

To ensure the safety of customers and staff, the facilities will look very different to the service provided before lockdown. Social distancing guidelines and safety will guide the way in which museums, the Archives and the Treasure House will operate.

During the closure period, deep cleaning has been carried out and after reopening, regular cleaning will take place throughout the day at all locations.

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Toilets will not be available at any of these sites in the initial phase of re-opening.

The details for individual services are as follows:

Archives

East Riding Archives Service, based at the Treasure House in Beverley, will reopen on Monday July 6.

In the first phase of reopening, it will only be possible to consult documents by appointment. Customers who would like to deposit or donate records will also need to contact the team to make an appointment before bringing in the records.

Staff will be answering research enquiries by email or telephone to enable more enquiries to be dealt with in the safest way possible, and minimising face to face contact by reducing the need for customers to visit a site.

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Enquiry desks will be restricted to ensure adequate distancing between customers. Cleaning materials will be provided at the enquiry desks which are in use.

The archives team will try to work to normal opening hours, but this may be subject to change.

In order for the Archives to reopen safely, customers are asked :

Please adhere to social distancing at all times and follow guidelines as displayed on posters

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All services will operate on a cashless basis wherever possible

Please provide any documents in electronic format wherever possible

If you have an appointment at the Archives please only arrive at the allotted time.

Visit www.eastridingarchives.co.uk for full details.

Museums

Beverley Guildhall, East Riding Museum and the Treasure House, and Goole Museum will re-open, based on their normal opening hours and days from Monday, 6 July.

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In the first phase of reopening, it will only be possible to visit the sites by following a prescribed route, which has been designed to ensure appropriate social distancing. The number of people in the building at any one time will be limited.

Leaflet display units, children’s toys, interactives and seating have been removed, in order to maximise space for social distancing.

The museums team will try to work to normal opening hours, but this may be subject to change.

The Treasure House in Beverley will reopen on Monday July 6

A queuing system will operate in order to gain access to the Treasure House. There will be two queues; one for Library users which will run down the side of the building up to the car park, and one for other services in the building, running in front of the building. (Further information about East Riding Libraries will be issued shortly).

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Entry to the Treasure House will be by the main entry doors, where visitors will be directed by a staff member.

The Tourist Information Centre will be open during its normal opening times with a member of staff available to answer any tourism related queries. There will be no self-service leaflet/brochure stands or merchandise available to purchase.

In order for these museums and the Treasure House to reopen safely , visitors are asked :

Please adhere to social distancing at all times and follow guidelines as displayed on posters

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Please do not linger too long to look at any one object or painting

Do not stand too close to front of house staff

Museums will operate on a cashless basis wherever possible

During the first phase, please do not bring in objects or photographs for deposit or for identification.

Councillor Shaun Horton, portfolio holder for Tourism, culture and leisure , said: “These reopenings are great news, and I know they will prove popular after such a long closure period . The changes we have made are in place to enable us to reopen safely, and are in line with government advice and regulations for the benefit of keeping our customers and staff as safe as possible. They are, of course, subject to change according to the latest government advice.

“We look forward very much to welcoming our customers back safely very soon!”

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Skidby Mill will reopen at a later date, because of the ongoing improvement works at the site.

Visit www.eastridingmuseums.co.uk for further details, including opening hours, and information on the new ways that services are being offered.