Building work starts on new military museum site in Warwick

How the front of the new museum site is proposed to look. Graphic supplied

Following the closure of Budbrook Barracks in the late 1950s (now Hampton Magna just outside Warwick) the Fusiliers museum relocated to St John’s House in Warwick and re-opened in 1960 where it remained for almost 60 years.

Co-located with the Regimental Area Headquarters, St John’s was the base for The Royal Warwickshire Regiment and its successor The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers until March 2020 when it was obliged to close due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

With the loss of public funding in 2017, the trustees determined that, in order to ensure the long-term future of the museum, alternative and smaller premises should be identified, and a new exhibition developed.

St John's House in Warwick. Photo by the Fusiliers Museum

The museum will be moving to Pageant House in the centre of the town and as well as new displays, there will also be a replica WWI trench.

Under the management of local architects Brown Matthews, local specialist builders and restoration experts Sibbasbridge have been appointed as the main contractors for the project and have already started work on the new museum in Pageant House.

The Grade II listed building is owned by Warwick District Council and is currently used by the Mayor’s parlour and town clerk’s office, by Live and Local and for registry office services with the new Fusilier Museum Warwick taking space on the first floor of the building.

John Rice, chairman of trustees of The Fusilier Museum Warwick, said: “We are delighted to announce that The Fusilier Museum Warwick has not disappeared, and we will be back in the autumn with a new look and visitor experience for all to enjoy.

"Together with the recently opened Museum of The Queens Royal Hussars and the Warwickshire Yeomanry Museum, we are committed to preserving and telling the story of our part in Warwickshire’s contribution to this country’s military activities over the centuries.

"The 6th Regiment of Foot, the Royal Warwickshire Regiment and their successors, The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers have a long and proud history, and the museum looks forward to welcoming visitors old and new when we re-open later in the year.”

Despite being closed visitors can still experience a taste of the museum through four interactive touch screens located in Warwick Tourist Information Centre.