SPENDING cuts by county councils have put the future of many town and regional museums in doubt and will see opening hours cut at public archives. 

From next week, Cumbrian archives in Barrow, Carlisle, Kendal and Whitehaven will only be open for three days a week - Wednesdays to Fridays from 9.30am to 1pm and 2pm to 5pm.

The archive centres will not longer open on Tuesday or Saturdays.

The county council is seeking feedback on the changes ahead of a review of opening times at the end of April.

The home of the Durham Light Infantry Museum at Durham is due to close and the bulk of its military collection put into a warehouse. 

And the decision has been taken to shut five museums in Lancashire -although a 12-week public consultation period is on-going. 

Due to go in April is the Museum of Lancashire in Preston, Fleetwood Museum, Queen Street Mill in Burnley, Helmshore Mills Textile Museum and the Judges' Lodgings Museum in Lancaster. 

Lancaster City Museum, which houses the military collections of the King’s Own Royal Lancaster Regiment will be expected to fully cover its costs – which may result in admission charges from April 1 April 2016. 

Among its star exhibits are Victoria Crosses won by Harry Christian, of Pennington, and Tom Fletcher Mayson, of Silcecroft. 

The proposals would save the council £1.13m. 

The Judges Lodgings, close to Lancaster Castle, is a Grade I listed building with an impressive collection of Gillows furniture and a museum of childhood with a recreation of an Edwardian nursery. 

This historic building was once the home of Thomas Covell, Keeper of Lancaster Castle. He locked the 10 Pendle Witches in their underground prison cell until the executions on August 20 in 1612. 

The Museum of Lancashire recently had more than £900,000 in Heritage Lottery Fund cash spent on it. Among its treasures is the Silverdale Hoard, one of the largest silver Viking hoards found in the United Kingdom. 

The textile industry collections at Queen Street Mill and Helmshore Mills Textile Museum include original machines, still in working order and preserved on the site where they were used. Helmshore Mills has had a £720,000 lottery investment. 

The Fleetwood Museum includes a Fleetwood-built fishing smack called Harriet which used to form part of a holiday site next to Millom harbour.

You can leave comments about the new archive opening days in Cumbria on a feedback form found at www.cumbria.gov.uk/archives/contact/fform.asp