A Dataset of Collections Dispersal following Museum Closures in the UK during 2000-2025

This dataset details the closures of 479 museums in the UK between the 1st of January 2000 and the 31st of July 2025. The data records the reasons why museums closed, what happened to the collections, and the actors involved. We developed new taxonomies to code event and actor types; the objects are described using Wikidata items; and each museum is linked to its entry in the Mapping Museums database. The data was collected from a range of sources including historical documents, reports, news articles, and personal accounts. It can be integrated with a broader range of data relating to the UK’s changing cultural sector.