Test Valley agreed £100,000 on 23 September after the town council's £50,000, so Andover Museum and the Iron Age museum stay open until at least March 2029.

Andover Museum and the Museum of the Iron Age will stay open until at least March 2029. Test Valley Borough Council’s Cabinet agreed £100,000 on Wednesday 23 September. Andover Town Council had already approved £50,000 on 9 September.

The decision is recorded in the council’s statement of Cabinet decisions for 23 September. Hampshire Cultural Trust, the charity that runs the museum, had asked the two councils for £150,000 between them.

Without it, the museum faced closure in 2027. The Cabinet report says the trust could see “no other viable option” to keep it open.

What was agreed

Cabinet resolved two things:

  • that Hampshire Cultural Trust receives £100,000 of revenue funding for 2026 to 2029
  • that a partnership agreement is drawn up for financial and performance monitoring, on terms agreed by council directors and their portfolio holders

The combined package works out at £50,000 a year for three years. Test Valley pays two thirds of it and the town council one third.

The conditions behind the money

The Cabinet report (item 10, pages 270 to 275) goes further than the council’s press release. It sets out how the money will be policed:

  • The trust has agreed the museum stays open for as long as the grant is in place, with a repayment obligation if it does not.
  • Test Valley’s share is likely to be paid in six-monthly instalments of £16,667, each subject to satisfactory performance and governance reviews.
  • No money is released until performance management arrangements are in place.
  • The trust must send quarterly performance reports and quarterly management accounts.
  • There will be six-monthly performance meetings, and the trust’s chief executive or chair will meet the portfolio holder at least once a year.

The decision cannot be acted on until the seventh working day after the meeting, in case it is called in. That is Friday 2 October.

Timeline: January 2024, Hampshire Cultural Trust announces changes and Andover Museum could close in 2027. 16 July 2026, Hampshire County Council reprofiles its planned grant cut. 9 September 2026, Andover Town Council approves £50,000. 23 September 2026, Test Valley Cabinet approves £100,000. 2 October 2026, earliest the decision can be acted on. March 2029, museum to stay open until at least then.
How the museum went from a closure risk to funding until 2029. Graphic by Andover News
Share this chartFacebookWhatsAppX

How it got here

The trust announced changes across its venues on 8 January 2024, in response to recurring financial pressures. The Cabinet report says it was confirmed then that Andover Museum and the Museum of the Iron Age “would potentially close in 2027”.

Two things changed this summer:

  • Hampshire County Council, which owns the building and is one of the trust’s core funders, agreed at its meeting on 16 July 2026 to reprofile the reduction it had planned in the trust’s grant.
  • Test Valley and Andover Town Council opened talks with the trust, which asked for “transition funding” of £150,000 over three years.

The report says there was no wider public consultation “given the sensitive nature of discussions”. The same trust is having similar talks with Alton Town Council and East Hampshire District Council about the Curtis Museum in Alton.

We covered the proposal, and what the town council’s July minutes said about the building, when it was first announced.

A bridge, not a permanent fix

The council calls this transition funding, and the report is plain about why. It is meant to give the trust time to find “more financially resilient and sustainable service delivery options and operating models”.

What that looks like “will be subject to further work over the coming months”. The report also leaves the door open to a move. It says other Test Valley-owned property “may be considered” among the options the trust brings forward.

Councillor Phil North, Leader of Test Valley Borough Council, said in the council’s release: “We know how much Andover Museum and the Museum of the Iron Age mean to local people.”

Councillor Tony Burley, Mayor of Andover, said in the same release that the museums “are important parts of our town’s identity and heritage”.

What it means for you

  • Nothing changes for visitors now. The museum is not closing in 2027, and the funding runs to at least March 2029.
  • Andover Museum is free, with no need to book, according to Hampshire Cultural Trust.
  • The Museum of the Iron Age charges, on a pay-once, visit-all-year ticket: adults £5, children aged 5 to 15 £3.50, concessions £4, under 5s free, and a family ticket £16.50 (Hampshire Cultural Trust).
  • The Iron Age gallery tells the story of Danebury hillfort, south west of Andover, excavated by Professor Barry Cunliffe between 1969 and 1988.
  • Opening days vary through the week, so check the trust’s page before you go.

The museum is on Church Close, a few minutes from the High Street. Our parking guide covers the nearest car parks, and things to do in Andover lists what else is on.

Sources