Comments on: Artefacts on loan to museum of British Empire sold at auction without consent of owners

By: Matthew

Matthew — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 10:08:34 +0000

Interesting. Although I lived in Bristol for much of my life & still visit regularly, I never managed to visit this museum during the relatively short period that it was open.

I’m not sure what legal recourse the original owners have – I’m not sure if the museum still exists as a legal entity & has any funds to cover lost items. Even then, this may depend a lot on the exact terms of the original loan agreements.

Possibly insurance would cover it though.

In the case of items that were sold on to someone else, a lawyer would have a better understanding on how it should be treated – in terms of whether the current owner has to return it – and whether they would receive any refund & from whom.

By: Hels

Hels — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 23:25:44 +0000

When the museum opened in 2002 in Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s own Temple Meads station, I thought it was a clever idea .. and in a great building. Bristol was an inspired choice because of its historic connection with empire that you specified – exploration, trade, piracy, shipbuilding and the railways. But its closure and possible removal to another city was a total shemozzle. Who knew what happened to the objects and whether they would ever be seen again?

Do the real owners have recourse in the courts?

Thanks for the link
Hels
http://melbourneblogger.blogspot.com.au/2011/10/bristol-brunel-and-british-empire.html