July 2026
Press Release
Axminster Heritage Centre is facing an uncertain future
Following major investment in the Georgian carpet factory that once made the world-famous Whitty carpets, Axminster Heritage Centre opened an exciting new museum in 2019 focusing on the town’s history and offering community spaces and office space, now used by local start-up businesses.
Local and global events have led to Axminster Heritage’s business plan becoming unsustainable and the charity has been drawing on its reserves to meet its financial commitments. Axminster Heritage Centre manager, Nigel Sadler, says ‘the present economic climate is making it hard for many museums, and Axminster businesses, to operate, and this is no different for us. Covid shut us for nearly 18 months soon after our opening and we lost our momentum. The invasion in Ukraine tripled our electricity costs over night, which for a Grade II listed Georgian building is a substantial cost, and the cost-of-living crisis means people have less money to spend on visiting attractions. Our future looks difficult but we are hoping that we can refocus our direction and find the funding to give us time to create a new business model. Whilst our financial model requires paying visitors and so is tourism minded, our wonderful building is used by many community groups, helps with local annual events and has the free entry for locals on the last Saturday each month. We also put on a range of activities for locals which recently have included a classic cinema season, Halloween events, a talk programme and even sleepovers for local children’.
Chair of Axminster Heritage Trustees, Laurence Hitchcock, added ‘we have built a wonderful tourist attraction in the town I was born and worked in all my life and I love. Unfortunately, even though we are so close to the tourist draw of the Jurassic Coast, a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site, the town currently fails to persuade enough tourists to travel the extra mile. I am fearful that without financial support, then the Heritage Centre is at serious risk of closure, maybe as early as next summer. We are in discussions with funders, but please, if you are minded to make a donation, or if you see one of our volunteers with a collection bucket, please help us during this transition phase. The town wouldn’t just lose a tourist attraction but also a cultural asset which the local community uses’.
Whilst Axminster Heritage Centre announce that they are struggling, they are not alone in Axminster. The Flamingo pool has been fundraising, Axe Valley Wildlife Park closed in 2025 and the Axminster Carnival has also put together its own rescue package. Due to lack of demand the Axe Vale Show is also not happening in 2026. Nigel Sadler finished by saying ‘this is such a shame as Axminster has so much to offer apart from a high-quality museum – there is a good range of independent shops, some wonderful cafes, restaurants and pubs, an active Guildhall with a wide variety of shows, a large range of historic buildings and a weekly market, surrounded by glorious countryside which contains several historic hillforts. Hopefully, the future of the Axminster Heritage Centre can be the catalyst and part of a bigger reinvigoration of Axminster itself’.
