Art lovers gathered in Old Town to urge Swindon Borough Council to use Freedom Day to ‘Free Our Croc’.

As Covid-19 restrictions in England were dropped more than 100 Save Our Musuem and Art Gallery campaigners showed up outside the closed building at Apsley House in Bath Road to call for it be reopened as soon as possible.

The slogan on their posters is a reference to the huge, studded gharial crocodile which has been a popular feature of the museum’s collection since 1935.

One of the organisers of the protest was Linda Kasmaty, the chairman of the Friends of Swindon Museum and Art Gallery.

She said: “It was good to see so many people here – it shows the strength of feeling there is on this matter and there was a lot of strong feeling here.

“We’re just asking for the museum to be opened up again as soon as possible.”

Fellow support Jane Milner-Barry – also an Old Town councillor – said: “We understand that Apsley House is not a perfect building for the collections, and we’re happy the council is looking for a solution and a better place to house and display them.

“But until it has a better solution, Apsley House should be opened again. Museums all over the country are reopening, they’re inviting people in, but not Swindon’s.

“This was such a vibrant place with a lot of life. There were children’s workshops every Saturday that were really popular. It all stopped nearly 18 months ago – and to keep it closed would be just terrible for Swindon.

“The council should open it up as soon as possible.”

A dispute over the museum and art gallery saw cabinet member for culture and heritage Dale Heenan resign. The responsibility is now held by councillor Robert Jandy.

He said: “Today’s gathering shows just how much people care about Swindon Museum and Art Gallery and I’d like to assure local residents that I share their passion when it comes to the borough’s art and heritage collections.

“Our collections are really important to us and they must be maintained in appropriate conditions in an environment that shows them at their best and which is accessible to everybody.

“This is why we have big plans to build a new Art Pavilion in the Cultural Quarter in the town centre. But we have to be realistic because creating such a fantastic facility from scratch is going to take some time.”

He said the current museum and gallery was too expensive to reopen.

“We cannot reopen the museum and art gallery’s current home at Apsley House because a significant amount of repairs need to be carried out running into hundreds of thousands of pounds and, even then, the building would not be fully accessible,” said Coun Jandy.

“This is not about making an annual saving. The current museum and art gallery is simply no longer fit for purpose, and the constraints of the building mean that it is unlikely ever to be so.

“Throughout the pandemic we have created new and innovative ways of sharing our collections and our Art on Tour exhibitions have allowed us to share our fabulous artwork with local residents.

“However, we do recognise this is no substitute for enjoying the art and heritage items in a fixed location.

“This is why council officers are currently committed to getting the collections back on display in a fixed location as soon as possible and I hope local art and heritage groups can work with us so we can get Swindon Museum and Art Gallery back open in another venue for residents and visitors to enjoy.”

More than 2,600 people have signed a petition calling for Apsley House to be re-opened.

It can be found on Change.org using the terms ‘save Swindon museum’.