The Museum of Brexit needs your memorabilia

By Dr Lee Rotherham, Chairman, The Museum of Brexit

Not just the referendum though, but what wraps around it too. What frames the issue is the wider story of this country’s relationship with the continent - across society, trade, conquest, democracy, and belief.

Britain and Britishness

What defines our national identity, or Europeanness? How does our history and that of our neighbours intertwine? The context first needs to be set. So in our museum blueprint we start by telling the story of Britain and Britishness over many centuries.

Next we move on to the ‘building of Europe’ – the battle of ideas after 1950 that led to the EU on the one hand, and Euroscepticism on the other. That second part of our story takes us down to 2015.

Only then do we finally turn to the referendum campaign itself. So in this way, when we find people arguing their case based on say Magna Carta or taking back control or European conflict, the visitor already understands the background, and also has a basic idea how the systems work.

Right now we need to push on with our collection of exhibits

So what we’re asking is for people who have been involved in the ‘European debate’ over the years to check their garages, their lofts, and their dusty cupboards, and take the opportunity to pass on items of interest over the next few weeks, while it’s easier

The system’s straightforward. Find the location nearest to yourself on our website. Then drop them a line to work out a time that’s mutually convenient. Then hand a box or bag over with a cover note. We’ll centralise everything later.

Note that our ‘DOPs’ are run by volunteers so please be patient. Note too that we are after material from all sides of the argument, from across the range of groups, and from across the decades.

Not only a museum, but also a library and archive

We are setting up an archive and library as well as a museum, so we are not only seeking display pieces but also printed matter, correspondence, annotated photos, alternative media such as cassettes or videos or DVDs, or electronic records collated onto memory sticks. And all of course accompanied by a cover note explaining provenance and context.

Feel free while doing it to take a selfie which we can share via our Twitter account, to encourage more people to follow suit.

Meanwhile, in tandem, the work of the team goes on, in terms of concept development, conversations with potential donors, and site location. There are a daunting number of dominos that need to be lined up and - as we always said - this was a project that won’t happen overnight.

The big call for your memorabilia

The priority now is the chase for items. We already have some great material donated and more pledged. We have some fantastic and unique pieces that allow us to talk around heavy issues in an engaging way. But there are major gaps still, and we need to capture as much as we can in the remaining time available.

Cash in the attic? Well if it’s something to do with Sir Bill Cash, we’d love it. Or Jimmy Goldsmith, Nigel Farage, Ted Heath, Jacques Delors …? Bring it down.

Dr Lee Rotherham (@DrBrexit) is Chairman of the Museum of Brexit, a registered charity. You can sign up to their newsletter via their website