Say hello to Sarah Corn, the new Chief Executive Officer of the Powell-Cotton Trust, who began in post in late April 2024.
“I have worked in the museum sector for about 20 years supporting museums of all shapes and sizes. Working across Kent, the wider South East and London, I’ve known of the Powell-Cotton Museum, Quex House and Gardens for many years.
The Powell-Cotton Trust has so many strengths: firstly, the Award-Winning team who work and volunteer in the Museum, House and Gardens are amazing, along with our fantastic visitors and supporters. Our work on accessibility, particularly with people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), is something we are very proud of and have worked with amazing advisors with lived experiences. Even the smallest change to remove an access barrier, whether physical, intellectual or emotional, makes the experience better for everyone, and we are grateful for the opportunities to continually improve, making the space more inclusive. The collection – whilst it is vast and we have challenges with leaky roofs (not for long) and making sure pests don’t eat the organic items – is certainly a strength and provides a combination of artefacts that isn’t often found outside of London. The natural history collection, in particular the primates, are internationally significant and we currently attract researchers from a variety of academic backgrounds and disciplines who spend time amongst the collection. Our World Culture collection provides insight into the lives of people and communities from the past and their contemporaries today. The photographic and archive collection not only supports Percy Powell-Cotton’s trips allowing us to pin-point geographic and scientific data, but the archive also gives us an insight into the lives of the family and their home at Quex in Birchington. Our location within Quex Park offers so many different experiences offered by a number of independent attractions and businesses.
We are going through an exciting time of transformation at the Trust. We are due to begin work on our roof repair, a large-scale project funded by the UK Government through Arts Council England, which will allow us to take better care of the collections by stopping the leaks that have caused damp and mould. While the contractors will primarily be working to repair the roof externally, we are having to make sure the collections in store and on display are protected. Glass cabinets will be protected with wood panels, crash decks over some displays will be installed, we will be monitoring vibrations throughout the project, and where we are able to remove objects from the walls, we have, and these are safely and securely stored for future use. This has meant that some galleries look a little bare on the walls as we have been preparing for this work since May. And from late July 2024, we will be closing Galleries one at a time as the contractors work above on the roof. This is the biggest piece of restoration work to be carried out on the Museum since the last galleries were added back in the 1970s (the first diorama was started in 1896 and the final diorama was completed in 1955 with later galleries being added over subsequent years).
While this external work is taking place, we are giving our displays a refresh. One such project includes working with community groups and advisors, in particular around our World Culture collection, to explore different perspective and narratives. The artefacts in the Museum’s East African collection come from countries such as Kenya, Uganda and South Sudan, and are attributed to over twenty community groups, including Kikuyu, Maasai and Turkana. The interpretation for these objects has changed very little since the 1920s when it was first produced. While we have Percy Powell-Cotton’s thorough diaries, journals and notes from which we can learn about his experiences and perspectives, the stories and voices of the African communities from which the objects were acquired also need to be heard, which we are now addressing. This gives audiences a greater insight into the communities of origin of our artefacts and involves them in discussions about how narratives are presented in the museum space. We are learning lots of important lessons and listening to feedback from community groups throughout this process and it is something we want to keep doing in the future.
As a local resident, I know and welcome what Thanet has to offer to visitors. We are very excited to be a part of the wider cultural offer in Thanet and want to be a ‘must-see’ destination for visitors to the area. But we are also a local museum and community space, and this is very important to us. The Powell-Cotton family history, Quex House and Gardens as well as the wider Quex Park where we are located and who we work closely with, have strong links to Birchington’s history. We want the Museum, House and Gardens to be a valued place of education, learning, engagement, conversations and debate for our community to come together, providing opportunities for people of all ages to learn new skills, to address social isolation, to participate in activities that improve wellbeing and to have a positive impact on the daily lives of our neighbours.
In 2026, the Powell-Cotton Trust who govern the Museum, House and Gardens and who are custodians for the buildings, land and collections within our demise, will be marking their centenary. While the museum itself dates back further than 1926 with the first diorama, the Kashmir Diorama (now in Gallery 2) being opened to the public in a stand-alone pavilion in the early 1900s, this anniversary will be a significant step for us. There has been quite a lot of change for the Trust over recent years: in the way we understand, research and interpret our collections; the way we engage with different community groups and volunteers; through to the change in our opening hours and visitor offer, which has sometimes led to confusion about who we are, what we stand for and what we do. We are busy working behind-the-scenes to address this, bringing together the learning from previous and current projects and initiatives to be able to present a joined-up and well-informed experience that contributes positively to people’s lives, however they engage with us.
Keep up-to-date with developments by signing up to our newsletter, becoming a member, following us on social media, or visiting us – we can’t wait to welcome you.”
