Plea to sign museum petition

A PETITION to save Dumfries’ oldest house has reached over 700 signatures, as d-day draws closer.

The Old Bridge House has sat at the western end of the Devorgilla Bridge since 1660. In that time it has been a barrel maker, an inn, a home and two flats, before becoming a folk museum in the 1960s.

But its future remains uncertain as it features among the proposed cost-saving measures in Dumfries and Galloway Council’s budget to close the museum alongside three others in the region.

Councillors will decide the fate of the museum at the end of February, but resident Fiona Lee, who started the petition, is calling on others to help protect it.

She said: “We have such a wonderful history here in Dumfries.

The museum staff at Old Bridge House already act as quasi tourist officers, the site frequently attracting more daily visitors than the museum itself.

“The iconic Devorgilla Bridge and Old Bridge House Museum are steeped in fascinating history and could provide an ideal start/ stopping off place for a tour of the town.

“The building recently benefitted from some interior and exterior renovations, and it would be a shame to let this go to waste.”

To sign the petition visit change.org and search ‘Save Old Bridge House, Dumfries from closure’.