The Tudor House Museum in Weymouth may be forced to close its doors if they cannot find new volunteers. 

Tudor House Custodian, Dorothy Hyman, said an emergency meeting had been held as the museum had reached crisis point and would have to close if volunteers were not found. 

“We have recently lost two very valuable volunteers through family circumstances so we are approaching a point where soon we will have to close altogether,” she said. 

Originally built on Weymouth Harbourside in the early 17th century by a merchant, the Tudor House is one of the UK’s best-preserved Tudor buildings.

Made of Portland stone, the building is furnished as it would have been in the 1600s.

“There isn’t anything else like it in Weymouth. There aren’t small everyday furnished houses where you can see how normal people lived, people who were the back bone of Weymouth,” said Ms Hyman. 

She added if the Tudor House closed it would most likely fall into disrepair and never open again. 

“It’s very sad but that is what I think would happen. We mustn’t lose the Tudor House and we mustn’t lose public access to it,” she said. 

In 1936, the house was deemed unfit for habitation and condemned for demolition but local architect, Walmsley Lewis acquired the building before the start of the Second World War and restored the building during the 1950s. 

When Walmsley died in 1978, he left the house in his will to the Weymouth Civic Society, which he had established in 1944. 

“He saved it and founded our civic society in order to protect the Tudor House. It would be devastating if it had to close now,” Mrs Hyman said. 

Vice chairman of Weymouth Civic Society Pru Bollam said: “It is the treasure of Weymouth and has been a very successful museum. 

“When it first opened it was open to the public every week day morning and afternoon and over the years it has become more and more difficult to find volunteers.”

The Tudor House currently opens from Tuesday until Friday from 1pm until 4pm and Sundays from 2pm until 4pm with each session requiring three volunteers, one receptionist and two guides. 

Mrs Bollam said the society needed volunteers who could commit one weekday afternoon per week and any help would be much appreciated. 

“It was bequeathed to the civic society by its founder, Walmsley Lewis and the society work to look after the environment and architecture of the town, so for us to own it is crucial to its existence,” she said. 

Mayor of Weymouth and Portland Cllr Kevin Brookes said he was sad the society had been forced to contemplate such measures and it would be a shame if the Tudor House had to close. 

“I would appeal to the younger end of the community to help keep some of these traditional structures going, as that is where the future lies,” he said.