Save Victoria Tower Gardens

Tristram Hunt is right: the Holocaust Learning Centre is a bad idea - Museums Association Who is scrutinising the government’s controversial plans for an underground venue in Westminster, asks Clare Annamalai

www.museumsassociation.org/museums-jour...

Almost certainly! The UK government used similar tactics in 2019, when they employed ‘social impact agency’ Big Ideas, at a cost of £118k to the taxpayer, to subvert the planning consultation system in the case of the UK Holocaust Memorial & Learning Centre.

Images of peers speaking in the House of Lords.

Praise and thanks to the peers who were in the @houseoflords.parliament.uk chamber until 01.20 last night, voting in support of amendments to the Holocaust Memorial Bill.

Phil Rosenberg of @boardofdeputies.bsky.social writing on his own account because the Board has never given Deputies a vote on the UK Holocaust Memorial proposal for Victoria Tower Gardens.

Charles Moore writes in today’s @telegraphnews.bsky.social about the UK Holocaust Memorial & Learning Centre proposed for Victoria Tower Gardens, which returns to @houseoflords.parliament.uk tomorrow.

Note how Lord Stevens of Kirkwhelpington avoids answering the concerns about public access to Victoria Tower Gardens.

If the UKHM exists in Victoria Tower Gardens it will mean and cancellation of the park on security grounds.

And what does Mr Gardner mean by ‘Westminster’? The UK Holocaust Memorial promoters have never suggested anywhere in Westminster other than VTG.

@houseoflords.parliament.uk

We’ll never know. Because nobody else has proposed building anything in this Grade II listed park.

UK Holocaust Memorial
Save Victoria Tower Gardens

Few places better to watch the Thames roll by than lovely Victoria Tower Gardens.
#SaveVictoriaTowerGardens

The UK Holocaust Memorial & Learning Centre, as currently proposed, is ‘a terribly bad idea’ and ‘massive misallocation of resources’.

Exactly right, Tristram Hunt.

@dcmsgovuk.bsky.social @rachelblakemp.bsky.social @matthewpennycookmp.bsky.social

And finally saying what many museum and cultural sector leaders must be thinking: That excavating a park to build a tiny, poorly-defined learning centre, when public funding is in such short supply, is ‘a terribly bad idea’.

Today in @thetimes.com, #TristramHunt of #V&A and the new #EastStorehouse, says what many museum and cultural sector leaders are thinking about the proposed #UKHolocaustMemorial and #LearningCentre.

Athena in @countrylifemag.bsky.social hits the nail on the head:
‘The uncompromising attitude of those responsible for driving it forward….to admit no reasonable objection….Indeed, why should they when the whole system is being managed to their advantage?’
#VictoriaTowerGardens
#UKHolocaustMemorial

Good morning friends. See my latest article here: thetidalthames.com/2025/05/18/t...

Good work from @privateeyenews.bsky.social. They’ve covered this “divisive project” from the start, and they’re still on the case.
#UKHolocaustMemorial #VictoriaTowerGardens

With the Board of Deputies trying to manage differences of opinion this week, we’re reminded of Deputies’ less-than-enthusiastic response to the UK Holocaust Memorial & Learning Centre - a project that’s implacably supported by their leaders.

The desire for a united front has prevented @boardofdeputies.bsky.social leaders from ever holding a vote on the UK Holocaust Memorial & Learning Centre proposal.

The leadership supports it, but knows very well that many deputies don’t.

People lying on the lawn in a sunny Victoria Tower Gardens

The gate to Victoria Tower Gardens, with a notice of closure for the day.

Victoria Tower Gardens being enjoyed yesterday, and closed today in preparation for today’s Yom Hashoah event.

Always sad to see the park closed, but infinitely preferable to having it excavated, built upon and security guarded for the ill-conceived UK Holocaust Memorial & Learning Centre.

This latest pronouncement from @yvettecooper-mp.bsky.social makes a mockery of the 7.5% figure that promoters have always claimed would be occupied by the UK Holocaust Memorial.

Because who will use the grassy mound like the people *in the promoter’s own visuals* if arrest is a possibility?

Aha….so it will take up “approximately 7.5% of the area of #VictoriaTowerGardens, but setting a square metreage for the #HolocaustMemorial & Learning Centre would “MAKE THE PROPOSED SCHEME UNDELIVERABLE” Whaaatt??

#LordIanAustin on Thursday, vs Lord Ian Austin on Friday.

Still not quite learning to think before he tweets.

That 50 sites were considered, before VTG was chosen in ‘a moment of genius’.

But we’re the fantasists.

That it will take up a mere 7.5% of the park (but please don’t hold them to square footages, because that would ‘make the proposed scheme undeliverable’. In fact, don’t use measurements at all. Just look at the ‘little lines’ on the plan.)

But we’re the fantasists.

That it will attract 1m visitors a year and be ‘the most visited Holocaust museum anywhere in the world’.

But we’re the fantasists.

Whereas supporters claim that construction will only cost £191m, and Adjaye had nothing to do with the design. 🧵

But we’re the fantasists.

Just #IanAustin joking about fire risk on a project where #EricPickles is involved.
#HolocaustMemorial #Lakanal

Excellent news from #EuropaNostra, @eib and our allies at #LondonParksAndGardensTrust
#7MostEndangered

Europa Nostra and EIB Institute announce Europe’s 7 Most Endangered Heritage Sites for 2025 - Europa Nostra Press releases (in 8 languages) and photos can be downloaded at the bottom of this webpage The list of the 7 Most Endangered monuments and heritage…

A competition that no one really wants to be in.

But very grateful to #EuropaNostra for recognising the value of #VictoriaTowerGardens and the severity of the current risk to it.

www.europanostra.org/europa-nostr...

There’s been a lot of controversy about the proposed Holocaust Memorial in Westminster: as a rabbi, I’d prefer to scrap it & put the £100+ million into education in schools nationally about Jewish life & values; that’d be much more effective than a static memorial in one place.

🧐