Think of East Anglia and one may consider Cambridge University, Sutton Hoo, the Norfolk Broads or perhaps even Alan Partridge.

       But for a museum dedicated to the region's history, its name is not sufficiently "relatable" to the modern visitor.

       As a result, The Museum of East Anglian Life has been rebranded The Food Museum, sparking public anger, with some describing it an "insult".

       Jenny Cousins, the museum's director, told The Telegraph that banishing the region's name was driven by a desire to appeal to a 21st-century audience with a "more relatable concept".

       She added the new incarnation has already attracted higher visitor numbers.

       “We did a lot of in-the-street interviews with people, saying ‘what would you expect to find in the Museum of East Anglian Life, and they really struggled to come up with anything, “ she added.

       “Whereas when you say Food Museum, people get excited.”

       Ms Cousins said that while the museum would keep its existing collection of over 40,000 objects, it will be more focused towards food and sustainability.

       She said its public consultation, which ran for four years, included focus groups, school visits, and open evenings.

       Simon Dukes, a trustee of the museum who supports the decision, said “all that’s happened, really, is a name change.”

       Yet while the museum insists that its shift in focus represents a “positive” change, many East Anglians disagree.

       Local resident and oral historian Neil Lanham, 84, called the name change “ludicrous”. He said the museum’s push towards relevance was “meaningless”, adding: “What on earth is the point?”

       Mr Lanham said he had no knowledge of this proposed name change until it happened.

       A petition expressing concern at the name change and urging the public to “Save the Museum of East Anglian Life” has attracted over 1,800 signatures, from prominent academics and local residents alike.

       Matthew Attwood, 41, a local collector and writer who is spearheading the campaign, said that “East Anglia is massively secondary” in The Food Museum’s vision, which incorporates sustainability and environmental concerns.

       “It used to be the focus," he said.

       'Much more than a name change'

       He told The Telegraph: “This is about much more than a name change… East Anglia isn't just absent from the new title, but also the vision, mission and values.

       “We've gone from a museum rooted in a place and culture to one defined by the loosest generic theme. It's intellectually incoherent, as the scale of academic opposition indicates, and frankly also an insult to East Anglians who hadn't thought to question the relevance of their identity and heritage before.”

       He added that East Anglia has a “very strong local regional identity”, and said that “everybody is against” the name change.

       Ms Cousins was unable to provide a clear definition of East Anglia in a meeting with Mr Attwood, he claimed, and she said it was an “irrelevant” and “difficult” concept. Ms Cousins denies she used the word irrelevant.

       When asked about Mr Attwood’s comments, she said: “I'm afraid that these recollections don't represent my or the museum's views.

       “We don't think East Anglia is irrelevant - it remains at the heart of the museum as do our collections.

       “I said that our visitor research and our experience having conversations with visitors over many years indicates that people define where East Anglia is differently.

       “Even Wikipedia reflects this: 'Definitions of what constitutes East Anglia vary.' We continue to present East Anglian heritage and stories, taking an angle which is more relatable to more people.'”