MORE than £3million will have to be raised should Malmesbury’s Athelstan Museum hopes of relocating to a former church come to fruition.

The museum, which tells the history of the town, needs more space to store its collection, which is growing continually.

The Friends of Athelstan Museum are considering a move to the former Moravian Church and Manse, which would allow the museum to triple in size.

Ernest Buchner, chairman of the Friends of Athelstan Museum, said: “The museum's story starts in the pre-historic period and moves through the Roman and Saxon periods all the way through to the town's philosopher Thomas Hobbs during the period of Charles II. There are also exhibits on the lace industry as well as temporary exhibits.

"But we're not covering as much as Malmesbury's history as we'd like. There's very little on agriculture, the Second World War or the post-war period when electronic companies came here. We're not able to grow as we don't have the space."

Mr Buchner said the former church would be an ideal site as it is in central Malmesbury, has spaces for permanent and temporary exhibits and is available for purchase.

But the relocation will cost almost £3 million. On top of this, it is estimated the museum’s annual operating costs would shoot up from £15,000 to £200,000.

Mr Buchner told the Standard a “great deal of work” had gone into investigating the potential upsides and downsides of the site.

He said: “The buildings need a great deal of work to make them secure with a figure of approximately £500,000. Then there is the cost of acquisition; another £400,000.

“Topping it off was the cost of making the buildings fit for purpose. This was estimated to be about £1.5 to £2million.”

The board concluded funds could be raised through trusts, foundations and individuals. But the real stumbling block could be the operating costs.

Mr Buchner continued: “Having a museum now three or four times the size of its former self would likely mean hiring professional staff and a quadrupling of many other operating costs to a total of likely £200,000 per year.

“However, in the face of these figures, the board is not ready to say yes or no to the project. We need some input from you the members and from other stakeholders."

He added: “Please share your thoughts, ideas and concerns with us, we need all of the guidance we can get.”

Mr Buchner can be reached on chairman@athelstanmuseum.org.uk The Friends of Athelstan Museum had previously looked at using the chapel in the Malmesbury cemetery as a possible storage and workshop facility. But it was deemed to be insecure, given its isolated location and had too many climate control problems such as dampness and excessive heat in the summer months.

The museum which is run by volunteers and funded by donations, was visited by 14,500 people last year.