Parts of the county's agricultural heritage could be sold to make way for a 10-metre sea dragon and a Roman mosaic.

Bosses at Rutland County Council are proposing a change in Rutland Museum's collections policy so the museum can accommodate the prehistoric Ichthyosaur fossil discovered at Rutland Water in 2021.

A report due to be considered by council chiefs next week says that "several large agricultural objects" will either be transferred to a new off-site storage facility or "considered for disposal".

The proposal from the council's tourism boss Cllr Rosemary Powell (Ind) states: "The current Collections Development Policy for Rutland County Museum is due for review and was agreed in 2018 prior to the discovery of the 10‑metre Ichthyosaur at Rutland Water and the Ketton Roman Mosaic.  

"To enable the museum to fully integrate and interpret these important finds, a comprehensive review of the existing collection is required. 

"As part of this review, several large agricultural objects, along with items assessed as being outside the scope of Rutland's heritage relevance, will either be transferred to a new off-site storage facility or considered for disposal in line with the museum's policy and professional museum standards."

The Ketton Roman Mosaic was discovered in 2020. It is considered significant because it depicts an alternative version of the Trojan war story.

The council therefore wants to update the current collections policy to include the acquisition of archaeological and palaeontological finds.

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The previous policy also states that any proceeds from selling off items from the collection will be transferred to The Friends of Rutland County Museum and Oakham Castle.  

The new policy will make clear that any funds from sales will now be retained by the council and go towards the long-term maintenance of of the museum's collection.  

Any costs arising from putting items into storage will be managed within the council's existing budgets.

The report recognises that "community concern or negative press" could arise if off-site storage is viewed as "throwing out heritage".

Bosses also acknowledge that rural communities could see the change in approach as a "loss of heritage representation".

No specific items have been identified as yet – but the museum lists a whole host of large agricultural vehicles and farming machines on its website.

They include wagons, ploughs, carts, a threshing machine, a shearing machine, and a pig weighing machine. Much of the equipment was produced or used locally – but some has no link to Rutland.

The new draft policy states: "The museum currently houses many large and bulky examples of farm equipment. 

"Although these items do represent a significant element of the history of the county, the museum believes that the collection disproportionately dominates the displays and that a significant reduction of the quantity on display is required to get a balanced view of Rutland life. 

"As part of any future museum development work, the collection will be extensively reviewed, and it is possible that without an alternative location, a number of items may be identified for rationalisation or off-site storage."

The report makes clear that any items not put into storage will be considered for sale or donation to other accredited museums.

The new policy states that low-quality items with no historical significance would be destroyed "as a last resort".

Councillors will debate the plans at next week's Rutland County Council cabinet meeting.