🚀 go-pugleaf

Phil Speight wrote:

> I have my own opinions but in the interests of even handedness I`d
> like to here other peoples . Initially I`m interested in , as ever ,
> the way there are vast sums of money available for designer
> exhibitions , new entrance ways , cafes etc and none for the boat
> collections . More importantly I`d like to know how many people agree
> with me that the canal museums should get far more support from
> goverment given that the canal network created the conditions for
> everything else that followed .

I thnik the three museums that belong to the Waterways Trust are very
different from one another, and it's difficult to make a generalisation
about them that would be true for all  -  except that if they are tio have
national status they ought to have the same sort of Government backing as
other national museums, and hence free admission, which would boost their
visitor numbers.

Some subscribers here may have seen by recent piece on narrowboatworld.com
about Stoke Bruerne.  There I argued that any museum has to strike a balance
between attracting and informing on the one hand casual visitors and on the
other knowledgeable enthusiasts.  It's very difficult to do both, especially
in a small museum.  Gloucester and Ellesmere Port are each perhaps big
enough to do both jobs, Stoke Bruerne certainly isn't.  Gloucester (judging
from when I last visited it whichb was some years ago) aims at the casual
visitor, and hits that target well, but offers little meaty content for the
enthusiast.  Stoke Bruerne's history has led it the other way.  As a
hard-bitten enthusiast I'm happy to spend hours there reading the faded
typed caption on small but fascinating old photos.  But that won't turn on
the casual visitor.  Last time I visited Ellesmere Port (once again this ws
a few years ago) it seemed to be making a fair stab at capturing boith
markets, but that was before TWT ran into financial difficulties (indeed, my
visit may have been before TWT was invented) and the museum began to neglect
 its boat collection, which should be its real glory.

To some extent all three museums need to attract both the enthusiast and the
casual visitor, as they are so far apart that specialisation would rule some
visitors out of visiting the one best suited to them.  This is, and will
remain, an almost impossible dilemma for Stoke Bruerne because of its
dimunutive size.  The archives are already being concentreated at Ellesmere
Port.  I think there is a strong case for basing the whole boat cololection
tgere, servicing it properly, and sending a varied selection of boats to the
other two places to provide some variety in the other two.  This would also
produce the valuable side-effect of the boats being seen on the move between
museums.


--
Mike Stevens
narrowboat Felis Catus II  -  taking over Felis Catus III in a few days!
(also a Trustee of the London Canal Museum)
Web site www.mike-stevens.co.uk

No man is an island.  So is Man.

Mike Stevens wrote...
>I think there is a strong case for basing the whole boat cololection
>tgere, servicing it properly, and sending a varied selection of boats to the
>other two places to provide some variety in the other two.  This would also
>produce the valuable side-effect of the boats being seen on the move between
>museums.

Hurtling along the motorways on the back of flatbed trucks?
--
Martin Clark

Internet Boaters' Database   http://www.auluk.freeserve.co.uk/boats
Pennine Waterways Website    http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk

On Sun, 11 Dec 2005 14:18:01 -0000, "Mike Stevens"
<michael.stevens@which.net> picked up their glass of wine, sat back
and said:

>Gloucester (judging
>from when I last visited it whichb was some years ago) aims at the casual
>visitor, and hits that target well, but offers little meaty content for the
>enthusiast.

I'd tend to agree, but enjoyed the interactive displays and the chance
to see old BW films, which show just how much the hire boat has
changed. When weekly maintenance meant changing the battery in the
torch and cleaning the spark plug, all by operatives in immaculate
white overalls..................

Brian L Dominic

Web Sites:
Canals: http://www.brianscanalpages.co.uk
Friends of the Cromford Canal: http://www.cromfordcanal.org.uk
(Waterways World Site of the Month, November 2005)
Mid-Derbyshire Light Railway: http://www.mdlr.co.uk

Newsgroup readers should note that the reply-to address is NOT read:
To email me, please send to brian(dot)dominic(at)tiscali(dot)co(dot)uk

On Sun, 11 Dec 2005 14:38:11 +0000, Martin Clark <martin@spl.at>
wrote:

>Mike Stevens wrote...
>>I think there is a strong case for basing the whole boat cololection
>>tgere, servicing it properly, and sending a varied selection of boats to the
>>other two places to provide some variety in the other two.  This would also
>>produce the valuable side-effect of the boats being seen on the move between
>>museums.
>
>Hurtling along the motorways on the back of flatbed trucks?

Don't they float?


--
Alastair

Martin Clark wrote:
> Mike Stevens wrote...
>> I think there is a strong case for basing the whole boat cololection
>> tgere, servicing it properly, and sending a varied selection of
>> boats to the other two places to provide some variety in the other
>> two.  This would also produce the valuable side-effect of the boats
>> being seen on the move between museums.
>
> Hurtling along the motorways on the back of flatbed trucks?

Preferably not.  Not quite what I had in mind


--
Mike Stevens
narrowboat Felis Catus II  -  Felis Catus III real soon now!
Web site www.mike-stevens.co.uk

No man is an island.  So is Man.

"Brian Dominic" <nbrumpus@lineone.net> wrote in message
news:h4nop11bkkd6eacu55j6kten8op04phi53@4ax.com...
> On Sun, 11 Dec 2005 14:18:01 -0000, "Mike Stevens"
> <michael.stevens@which.net> picked up their glass of wine, sat back
> and said:
>
> >Gloucester (judging
> >from when I last visited it whichb was some years ago) aims at the casual
> >visitor, and hits that target well, but offers little meaty content for
the
> >enthusiast.
>
> I'd tend to agree, but enjoyed the interactive displays and the chance
> to see old BW films, which show just how much the hire boat has
> changed. When weekly maintenance meant changing the battery in the
> torch and cleaning the spark plug, all by operatives in immaculate
> white overalls..................
>
> Brian L Dominic

I would like to see the Waterways Trust under new management. The present
management has come up with grandiose schemes which have cost money rather
than achieved any sort of benefit.
With Stoke Bruerne, the Trusts one aim seems to be to remove exhibits
(including those that are on loan) and set up a tea room. There seems to be
no consideration for the closely knit community that relies on the museum
for it's livelihood. Hopefully the newly formed "Friends of the museum" will
be able to bring in much needed changes. I just hope that they don't
contribute money to the Trust as it will be wasted.
--
Sue nb Nackered Navvy

My own personal view about the Waterways Trust museums is that they do not
seem to have a cohesive shape, or thought out  feel about them. As if  'Ah,
we have a canaside site so we should open a museum about canals, but don't
really know what to put in it and say!'  Bit cruel, but thats how they feel.
I think Phil, it is a matter for the museum organisers to start from a clean
sheet of paper. First they should address the question of Objective. What is
the objective of this museum, sounds a stupid question, but try answering
it.

Roger.







"Phil Speight" <craftmasters@btconnect.com> wrote in message
news:dnhb0a$jjr$1@nwrdmz03.dmz.ncs.ea.ibs-infra.bt.com...
> Some of you may read Canal and Riverboat and will know I write a monthly
> column in the magazine . Very often , specially with egard to certain
> boatbuilders I have to do  a fair bit of punch pulling . However , I`m
> going to look at the state of the museums run by the Waterways Trust soon
> and put my findings in the magazine .
> I have my own opinions but in the interests of even handedness I`d like to
> here other peoples . Initially I`m interested in , as ever ,  the way
> there are vast sums of money available for designer exhibitions , new
> entrance ways , cafes etc and none for the boat collections . More
> importantly I`d like to know how many people agree with me that the canal
> museums should get far more support from goverment given that the canal
> network created the conditions for everything else that followed .
> If this is too much to lumber this group with e-mail me direct if you
> prefer .
> Phil
>

On Wed, 14 Dec 2005 10:45:49 -0000, "Roger Murray"
<timbuktu@rgm8.fsnet.co.uk> wrote:

>My own personal view about the Waterways Trust museums is that they do not
>seem to have a cohesive shape, or thought out  feel about them. As if  'Ah,
>we have a canaside site so we should open a museum about canals, but don't
>really know what to put in it and say!'  Bit cruel, but thats how they feel.
>I think Phil, it is a matter for the museum organisers to start from a clean
>sheet of paper. First they should address the question of Objective. What is
>the objective of this museum, sounds a stupid question, but try answering
>it.
>

I perhaps really should know, but I don't (:-( ;
are the museums totally run by BW - or is there an involvement with
the Science Museum - who run other transport museums around the
country.

Maybe the curatorial aspects need better coordination with other
national museums.


--

Malcolm
webmaster http://www.nb-president.org.uk/

"Malcolm N....." <malcolm@mgnixon.org.uk> wrote in message
news:5l10q1d99evhs487agqs1ccnd16i09ns81@4ax.com...
>
> I perhaps really should know, but I don't (:-( ;
> are the museums totally run by BW - or is there an involvement with
> the Science Museum - who run other transport museums around the
> country.
>
> Maybe the curatorial aspects need better coordination with other
> national museums.
>
>
> --
>
> Malcolm
> webmaster http://www.nb-president.org.uk/

The waterway museums were run by BW but the Waterways Trust took them over
6yrs ago. The Trust (there's a misnomer) was set up and part funded by BW.
They have no Government aid and are separate from any other museum.  Hence
the need to charge entry and to raise funds. There are three museums
Gloucester, Ellesmere Port & Stoke Bruerne and all are in decline with the
knowledgeable personnel having left, as has been reported in the waterways
press
--
Sue nb Nackered Navvy