A unique and much-loved Isle of Wight museum dedicated to the famous saucy seaside postcards of Donald McGill is searching for a new location to secure its future.
The Donald McGill Museum, currently housed alongside the Ryde District Heritage Centre on Union Street, Ryde, is looking for a new seaside-based venue or charitable organisation to take it on.
Owner and founder James Bissell-Thomas says the attraction, which celebrates one of the United Kingdom’s most prolific postcard artists, would ideally remain in a coastal location on the Isle of Wight.
The museum showcases Donald McGill’s famous humorous postcards and explores the artist’s life and career, including the controversy surrounding his work during the 1950s.
Displays also highlight how Ryde was among several seaside towns targeted during police raids linked to the ‘Obscene Publications Act 1857’, as authorities attempted to clamp down on postcards considered inappropriate at the time.
The attraction currently operates from the Royal Victoria Arcade in Ryde and features more than 1,000 postcards displayed across the museum.
James is now searching for an existing attraction or charitable organisation to come forward and provide the museum with a permanent new home, potentially using it as part of fundraising activities.
Anyone interested is being asked to contact the Ryde District Heritage Centre for further details.
