As the roof needs some work to replace part of it which has been leaking increasingly badly, the decision was made to close the Maritime Museum, relocate some of the exhibits, refresh other displays and create an overall new experience in the room adjoining the Hatton Gallery.

The new-look museum won't be open for some time though as the work to the roof is expected to take most of next year to complete, so anyone who wants a cultural experience this weekend will be among the last to see the museum as it is with up to two years before the room is opened up to the public with a new exhibition.

With Castle Cornet closing for the winter months, work will soon start to strip out the maritime exhibits, although larger artefacts will have to remain in place during the work so they will be covered while the roof is removed and replaced.

That work will happen in stages from early spring 2019, starting at the northern end of the building, over the Hatton Gallery. 

Pictured: Salt damage is showing on the walls of the Hatton Gallery where a number of public and private events are held each year.

While the work to the roof is ongoing, the museum curators will be considering what to put in the current maritime museum space when it is able to reopen. Doctor Jason Monaghan said it may not be a maritime museum anymore.

"The museum was put in in 1992 and a museum gallery has a life of about 12 years before it starts looking tired, and it's not just the things you see, it's all the electrics, plumbing and the ventilation. And the ventilation system doesn't work here anymore, and things like the caption boards get faded and the interactives don't work and things of that nature. 

"Locals in particular say, 'well I've seen that before' and they're not going to come back, and back and back, to keep seeing the same old thing. So it's time the maritime museum had a refresh anyway and we're going to try and fit that in with a schedule of generally upgrading the castle."

With tens of thousands of items in storage at secure sites across the island, Doctor Monaghan said Guernsey Museums could utilise the space in the current maritime museum in new ways following the new roof being fitted.

"The main task is replacing the roof on the building because that was put on in the very early 1990s. They're cement slates and they're at the end of their useful life. We're in a very exposed position here anyway with the wind and the rain and the water comes in. 

"It's very tightly controlled, and everything's been through planning and you've got to sort of do it by the book and use appropriate materials. Not only so that it looks right but also so that it suits the structure and the function. There are some places in this building where people have done some inappropriate repointing and it might have looked ok at the time but it doesn't work with the historic structure and you've got to work with historic buildings, and treat them with sympathy."

Doctor Monaghan said anyone wanting to see the displays in the maritime museum should do so now, before it is too late. And he said work will continue throughout 2019 and 2020 to breathe new life into the dated museum space.

"Come and see it between now and the end of the October half term, because it won't be going back in the same form as it is in there at the moment.

"If you've not seen it, or you've got a particular affection for it then come and see it."

"It won't (reopen) in 2020, because that's too soon to actually put a new museum in, but by then we will have plans for what we're going to do, and whether it's going to be a refreshed version of what's in there at the moment or if it's going to be something completely new, we'll know by then."

Pictured: Castle Cornet.

As well as the Maritime Museum closing for good, Sunday 4 November will also be the final day of the season for Castle Cornet as a whole, Fort Grey and the German Naval Signals HQ.

Dr Monaghan said all have had pleasing seasons so far, ahead of their winter downtime.

"Although final numbers for theseason are not in yet, the Naval Signals HQ has enjoyed a pleasing 33% increase in footfall over last year, showing that people are becoming more aware of the site. The Castle and Fort Grey have seen similar visitor numbers to 2017."

Guernsey Museum at Candie remains open until the end of the year, while Castle Cornet and the RGLI Museum at the castle will reopen for free on Sunday 11 November, between 10:00 and 12:00, to mark Armistice Day.

Pictured top: The Maritime Museum.