A rare example of Georgian architecture in Swindon has been put on a heritage organisation’s ‘at risk’ list.

Apsley House, which used to house the Swindon Museum and Art Gallery, has been closed since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic and it has now been emptied of the exhibits it held as the gallery and museum.

Swindon Borough Council is selling the Grade II listed building on the corner of Victoria Road and Bath Road. 

And now charity Save Britain’s Heritage has added the building, which dates back to the 1830s to its ‘buildings at risk’ list

The listing says: “A gracious late Georgian villa which for several decades has accommodated the  impressive Swindon museum and art collection.

"The museum did not reopen after lockdown and the future of the buildings is uncertain."

A spokesman for Save Britain’s heritage said: “Every year we add new buildings identified by our supporters, conservation officers and other heritage professionals in a bid to publicise the plight of historic treasures which, with a little imagination, could find new life."

Labour’s shadow spokesperson for  communities and culture, Adorabelle Shaikh said: “Apsley House being added to the At Risk Register should highlight just how important a location it is.

"As one of less than a handful of sites on the list in Swindon, it’s ownership should be being viewed as an asset for the council to utilise, not a burden to be discarded. We are concerned that the Conservative administration are failing to see this potential.

"The Labour group views Apsley House as an economic opportunity for the council, and Swindon.

"By investing in art, history and culture the council can give people a reason to come the town and spend money in Swindon.

"This means we can justify spending money on sites such as Apsley House as loss leaders, that bring in other economic benefits that will over time balance the council’s books and provide all the social goods they do as an additional benefit.

"The difference here is Labour are willing to see an opportunity and view Swindon’s cultural offerings as an asset not as a burden.

"Swindon needs innovation from its council, it needs new ideas and a different approach. We cannot keep selling off everything the council owns and to just expect everything will work out ok in the end.

"We need to start using what we have for the residents of Swindon, we need to take action.”

The council announced on Monday the building will be going up for sale – but first, community organisations will have the chance to become the historic property’s new owner and find a new use for it.

As it is listed as an Asset of Community Value, the local authority must legally offer it to groups around the town, who have six weeks to decide if they want to trigger a moratorium.

Doing this would give community groups at least six months to put bids together for the property while it is being marketed. The council would be unable to sell it to any other organisation before this date.

The process does not require the council to dispose of the property to a community group or at a discounted sale price.

Any money raised from the sale would be used to support the creation of a brand new museum and art gallery.

In the meantime, preparations for the collection’s new space in the Civic Offices are underway and some of it has already been put on display.

Councillor Keith Williams, the cabinet member for climate change, finance and commercialisation, said: “Apsley House as an important landmark building in Old Town, but it requires significant investment to bring it back into use.

"It was built as a residential property and is not fully accessible to everyone in the borough. Instead of investing in a building which not everyone can visit, we have decided to use that money to create a new facility on the first floor of the Civic Offices so that we can display more of our fantastic art and museum collections and show them off to more people.

"Using the Civic offices allows us to create fantastic educational spaces so we can encourage more school visits. More local artists will be able to show off their work and the new venue will be in a convenient location close to the town centre with the added bonus of abundant parking for visitors.

"The proceeds from the sale of Apsley House will be earmarked to help bring forward plans at the town’s Cultural Quarter, so we are spending that money wisely to help provide a brand new museum and art gallery we can all be proud of.

"We are confident Apsley House has a bright future under new ownership and we look forward to seeing what proposals come forward.”