Canal museum will go back to its old name
Bosses of the National Waterways Museum in Stoke Bruerne have decided to bring back the museum's original name after visitors said they wanted the focus of the venue to change.
The Canal Museum was renamed the National Waterways Museum a number of years ago to link the venue up with other canal museums in Gloucester and Ellesmere Port.
But the Waterways Trust has decided to revert back to the venue's original name after visitors said they wanted to know more about the history of the Stoke Bruerne area rather than the country's entire canal network.
Waterways Trust spokesman, Justine Lee, said: "We've been looking at our future direction for a while now and it's become very clear people want to know about the waterways around them when they visit a local museum, they want that local story, that's why we're moving along that route.
"So we'll be developing the museum to deal with more of a local story than a national one."
Signs changing the venue's name back to the Canal Museum will go up next month, and a greater focus will be given to features in the area, such as the Blisworth Tunnel and the history of the Grand Union Canal.
Mrs Lee said: "This is not downgrading the museum in any way, it's improving it and making it more what people want.
"It's going to be a lot more about the area's story and focus much more on what the visitors want to see.
"We've found out that when people visit Stoke Bruerne, they want to know about things like the Blisworth Tunnel, the Grand Union Canal and the waterways around there. They weren't looking for the national story.
"So we're not too proud to say 'let's change the name back again' to make it what people want."
The museum is housed in a restored corn mill at the side of the Grand Union Canal.
Its attractions include working models, videos, a waterside cafe and a shop.
The museum is currently open from 11am until 3pm from Wednesday to Friday and 11am until 4pm at weekends.
From April to October, it is open every day from 10am until 5pm.
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