Letter: A museum neither fake nor phoney, but a genuine part of Kent's rural heritage

Sir: Nicholas Roe's article 'A nasty cottage industy' (3 May) includes the suggestion that the Museum of Kent Life is another 'nail in the coffin' for rural England.

This is nave, and patronising to those who struggle to keep such communities alive. The reasons why rural communities are declining are numerous. They include the availability of low cost housing, the Common Agricultural Policy, closures of village markets in favour of hypermarket green-field sites and the viability of public transport, all issues that our county council, together with numerous partners, has been working on for some time.

The museum has the highest standards of conservation, and displays a real empathy for Kent. Indeed, the site is based on a working farm and is a genuine part of Kent's rural heritage. The magnificent oast house is one of only a few working ones in the county and, without the arrival of the museum, would have collapsed in a pile of rubble.

The museum has very strong links with many bodies involved in the practical conservation of the countryside, and until last year it hosted the annual Kent Conservation Show, which brought together several local bodies ranging from the Kent Trust for Conservation to Friends of the Earth. The Museum of Kent Life is not ashamed to ensure that we preserve and develop something of our heritage. To link the disappearance of our rural villages to the existence of the museum is absurd.

Yours faithfully,

YINNON EZRA

Director of Arts and Libraries

Kent County Council

Maidstone

5 May

(Photograph omitted)