Donating objects to the Heugh Battery Museum
We are delighted to be offered items from family collections. We know how important these objects are and that donating them to a museum is a major step. However the Heugh Battery Museum is a small museum with very limited space. We have a strict collection policy and ask potential donors to the museum to think how their object fits with our collections policy before offering them.
The Heugh Battery Museum Collections Development Policy states “The themes and priorities for future collecting will reflect the wartime experiences and resilience of the civilian population of the Hartlepools during both the First and Second world Wars”.
We will accept:
- WWI artefacts
- WWII artefacts
- Objects specifically to do with Hartlepool 1914-18 or 1939 – 45
- objects relating to the Heugh Gun Battery
We cannot accept
- Military items from 1945 onwards
- Objects that are unsafe
- Items that duplicate what we already have in our collection
- Items in poor condition
- Items we do not have appropriate space or conditions to house
- Objects that do not belong to the donor
- Objects on loan
We do not give valuations on objects.
Making a donation
If you do have an object that fits with the criteria above, your first step should be to contact the museum by telephone (01429 270 746) or email info@heughbattery.co.uk . We can then check with you how your object fits with our collection and can give you an initial decision as to whether we are likely to accept it.
You should then make and appointment with the museum manager to arrange to bring the object to the museum.
When bringing the object to the museum, the object will be examined to determine its condition and you will be asked to complete some paperwork to transfer ownership to the museum. We do not take items on loan.
The museum then has 4 weeks to decide if the object will be accepted into the collection. You will be asked if we decide not to keep the object, if you would like to have it returned to you or if you would like us to dispose of it.
Please do not be offended if we do not accept your donation. We are grateful for all offers but do not have the space to accept every object.
It cannot be guaranteed that your object will go on display at the museum, but it will be accessible to researchers even if it is kept in our stores.
