Museum of Classic Sci-Fi

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Coordinates:  54°53′48.8″N 2°15′21.3″W

Museum entrance (at lower right)

The Volvardis

The Museum of Classic Sci-Fi is in Allendale, Northumberland in England. The

museum opened in 2018 and houses a collection of more than 200 props, costumes
and artworks from a number of "classic", mid to late-20th century science fiction
franchises. The Guardian has described the establishment as "one of Britain’s most
eccentric small museums".

History[edit]
The museum was founded by art teacher Neil Cole and opened in October 2018. [1][2] It is
situated in the cellar of Cole's four-storey Georgian townhouse in Allendale,
Northumberland,[3] which has a grade II listing.[4]
Cole dreamt of establishing a science fiction museum as a child, being inspired by
seeing a Tardis prop from Doctor Who on the Blackpool seafront at the age of five. Cole
watched a lot of science fiction as a child, particularly Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker as
Doctor Who; he also read Marvel Comics.[3] Cole acquired props from a number of
science fiction programmes over the years. His first costume was that of the character
Ohica from Doctor Who's 1976 serial The Brain of Morbius. He acquired that costume
when he was a student and he had to sell his motorcycle to fund the purchase. [3]

Dr Who exhibits

After moving into the neglected house it took Cole five years to convert the cellar into
the museum.[3] He has since acquired other props, including the head of a robot mummy
from the 1975 Doctor Who serial Pyramids of Mars, which was donated by the family of
a milkman who had been given it by the BBC in the late 1970s, instead of throwing it
away. The museum also holds the costume of Rasiinian ambassador Runepp. It was
designed for a competition and as a treat it was worn by a fan in The Muse, a 1996
episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.[3] As of 2021 the museum held more than 200
costumes, props and artwork from Doctor Who, Blake's 7, Star Trek, Flash
Gordon, Thunderbirds and the Marvel universe.[3][2] The museum also operates a Volvo
car with a Tardis on the roof, which is named the "Volvardis". [1] It has been described
by The Guardian as "one of Britain’s most eccentric small museums". [3]

The disputed Dalek shed and some visitors

In 2019 the museum was involved in a planning dispute with Northumberland County

Council. Cole had, with an after-school arts class, created a replica of a Doctor
Who Dalek for display outside the museum. The Dalek was protected by a wooden
shed structure. The council's opinion was that the shed required planning permission
which they considered was unlikely to be granted as they thought the shed was out of
character with Cole's house. Cole was asked to remove the shed. Cole considered that
removing the shed, and the Dalek, would adversely affect attendance at the museum
and threaten its future.[1] The Northumberland County Council planning opinion was
opposed by dozens of people from the village and across the world, with local residents
erecting their own Daleks in protest.[5] After receiving press coverage from across the
world the council withdrew its objection to the shed. [3]
The museum was forced to close during the nationwide COVID-19 lockdowns. This
gave Cole time to restructure the exhibits and carry out works to create more exhibition
space.[3] The museum reopened in late 2021 with a grand reopening weekend attended
by Doctor Who actress Sophie Aldred and fans wearing science fiction costumes. [3]
[6]
 Cole was unable to attend the event due to suffering from fatigue following a COVID-
19 infection.[6] The event was filmed by Reeltime Pictures for a documentary about the
museum, which had earlier featured in another of their productions Lockdown,
documenting the lives of Doctor Who fans during the pandemic. [6]

References[edit]
1. ^ Jump up to:a b c "Home-made sci-fi museum fears closure as Dalek shed 'needs planning
permission'".  The Irish News. 24 January 2019. Retrieved  14 February  2022.
2. ^ Jump up to:a b Grant, Katie (24 January 2019).  "Family-run sci-fi museum faces closure over
shed housing Dalek display".  inews.co.uk. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
3. ^ Jump up to:a b c d e f g h i j Brown, Mark (6 January 2022). "The Doctor Who treasure trove in a
Northumberland village cellar". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
4. ^ "HOUSE ADJOINING HARE AND HOUNDS INN TO EAST, Allendale - 1303598 | Historic
England".  historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
5. ^ "This Doctor Who Dalek in a shed could be exterminated by a British town council". CBC
Radio. 23 May 2019. Retrieved  14 February  2022.
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