A visit To the Kent Battle of Britain Museum at Hawkinge a MUST

My problem is when they call my wife and daughter sisters. Seems to please she who must be….. though.

The real downer is when you ask for an age concession and they give it to you without question. I have never been queried, and that’s a real bummer. I positively WANT to go to somewhere that refuses me entry because I look too young!

Moggy

I know the feeling 🙂

On the other hand, several years ago I went into B&Q to buy a pressure washer. When I went to pay I was given the
Wednesday Seniors discount. I was only in my mid-50s !!

I’ve only been to Hawkinge once, which must have been about 20yrs ago. Unfortunately we had my wife’s sister and
kids with us. So after about half an hour we had to go 🙁

I always feel guilty using concession entrance prices or buy one get one hnfree vouchers published in a certain magazine. I mean they need the money and every pound helps.
The worst museum I have ever visited of any type or size is the IWM North. If they had charged for entry I would have asked for my money back. Visit this first to see how it shouldn’t be done, IMHO, then everything else looks good.
Have recently visited the museums at Manston both of which are excellent. The Merlin cafe is worth the trip alone!

Exactly!

When I sat in a wooden mock up of a Spitfire when I was 9, do you think I would have cared if somebody told me it wasn’t real? Then again would anyone have thought I would be bitten and still into the hobby more than 30 years later?

If a child gets into the hobby, then buys airfix kits then great. Thats probably how a lot of aircrew and museum volunteers started out!

The replica aircraft for me look great and give you that feel of the original aircraft, especially for the younger generation who visit the Museum, as there is nothing better than seeing there eyes pop out when they see the likes of the Hawker Hurricane, Spitfire and not forgetting the Defiant in all its glory. (The next best thing to the originals)

Also these replicas played a big part in the 1968 feature film “The Battle of Britain” Not forgetting also the signitures of the Airman that thought the Battle that also grace the line up of these Aircraft..

90% of visitors do not realise the aircraft on display are replicas, neither would they care. It would be nice to have lines of real ones but its better to have a replica painted in the colours of a very brave pilot, rather than not have an a/c at all! Often these replicas are unveiled by relatives of the crews. Ideally all of the spitfires stored at Cosford would be loaned to musuems, but sadly not all of them are.

Having read a few of the negative Trip Advisor reviews for the museum it has bobbed up to the top of my ‘must go’ list.

Passing the magic 60 is pretty depressing if you let it get to you, but the one good thing is cheap entrances to a lot of places. Reading this:

Having travelled 70 miles the disappointment is reflected from the very start of the visit when my partner (aged 72 ) was refused a concessionary entrance fee because “he did not look old enough”

… means I have to visit. The real downer is when you ask for an age concession and they give it to you without question. I have never been queried, and that’s a real bummer. I positively WANT to go to somewhere that refuses me entry because I look too young!

Moggy

Haha!;) Classic. Those examples just about sum up Trip Advisor for me!!

“………everybody has one and some are one”.

I have fallen foul of Trip Advisor too many times to even deem them worth a look anymore. Is any museum perfect? As I have stated previously there is much which could be improved but given what they have and how they have improved over the years I think it’s a unique display of the all the facets of the Battle of Britain, with much else besides. And if the rules on photography do not suit, then don’t go. It’s that simple. But going and then complaining is simply pathetic. As for the staff/volunteers – I have going for many years and do not recognise the criticisms made.

As I am nowhere near Kent I have to rely on online reports of the museum at Hawkinge. I’ve heard about their no camera rule before, but it doesn’t seem such a crazy request given recent activities at Solent Sky. Some dirty laundry is there for all to view on Trip Advisor, with the manager counter-commenting against one negative review. Speaking of Trip Advisor, Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh has an entry (!) which has clocked up some one star reviews (!!), such as;

Unfortunately, unless you come prepared with walking gear, you probably won’t make it up. We got 1/4 up in trainers, to realise if we went any further we’d get stuck or end up coming down on our bums. Its such a shame there wasn’t a solid route all the way up – we went to get the sun rise, so this kind of ruined our day a bit (oh nature! it was even sunny!)

and…

Roller coaster we had heard about we could not find. It was too high and at the top no seat. With the name Arthur’s seat we had expected a chair for photographs

and…

Unless you are really determined to see what’s there, then I wouldn’t bother. It’s a very long climb, the final stretch is extremely hazardous. If an accident occurred up there it would be a mountain rescue team and possibly helicopter to the rescue!! There are no signs pointing you in the right direction and there are several paths up to the top, some more treacherous than others. Don’t forget that if you manage to get up there you also have to come down!!

To use a popular synecdoche, opinions are like assholes; everybody has one.

But ruined by the attitude of the staff and their paranoia about mobile phones, cameras and bags.[/I]

That’s life, deal with it. If anyone doesn’t like the rules don’t go. It really is that simple. I brief perusal of their website will inform anyone who wishes to know what the museums policies are. Many places make rules regarding entry to private premises. The reasons for doing so are entirely up to the museum and there’s nothing you or anyone else for that matter can do about it. If that puts you off from visiting the museum then it’s your loss.

I have fallen foul of Trip Advisor too many times to even deem them worth a look anymore. Is any museum perfect? As I have stated previously there is much which could be improved but given what they have and how they have improved over the years I think it’s a unique display of the all the facets of the Battle of Britain, with much else besides. And if the rules on photography do not suit, then don’t go. It’s that simple. But going and then complaining is simply pathetic. As for the staff/volunteers – I have going for many years and do not recognise the criticisms made.

I haven’t been yet, although I follow them on facebook, and yes they do post pictures of the exhibits, I would think they are a bit tight on space, but would much rather go to a museum that was rammed, rather than an art gallery “installation” type of modern display; one mans piece of junk is another mans piece of history…….

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g4212603-d1906014-Reviews-Kent_Battle_of_Britain_Museum-Hawkinge_Folkestone_Kent_England.html#REVIEWS

Some very interesting opinions shared on Trip Advisor.

A decent enough collection, if quite cramped and scruffy. But ruined by the attitude of the staff and their paranoia about mobile phones, cameras and bags.

I don’t think anyone is disputing the quality of the Battle of Britain artifacts . There is a lack of space to display the likes of the Tiger Moth and other related aircraft . Sensibly many would I guess wish to see those on display instead of the likes of the Fokker DR1 and multiple FSM Spitfires

Hawkinge is quite frankly a fantastic museum. For hardcore Battle of Britain enthusiasts you are unlikely to see a better collection of real BOB relics in one place. For those wanting to get picky and anal with their comments you could quite easily say the same about Hendon and their “Battle of Britain” hall which houses a He111H-20 which didn’t see service until early 1944. A Ju87G-2 which didn’t see service until 1943. A Ju88R-1 nightfighter which was in use much later than the BOB and Bf110G-2 nightfighter same story… For those that don’t like plastic replica aircraft there are millions of modellers world wide who would disagree…

I suppose as we have a Lancaster in the BBMF, something twenty odd years before the Battle of Britain is just stretching the time period of the conflict a little further in the opposite direction.

Moggy

Re: Gotha replica.

Folkestone is the nearest town to Hawkinge, type in Gotha and Folkestone into Google and you will see how appropriate the exhibit will be to the museum, Planned expansion including a new hangar will finally allow the collection to exhibit its WW1 artefacts.

I have to say that my wife visited the Battle of Britain Museum with me last year and came away and said that she had enjoyed the displays and above all the personal stories, i even see a tear in her eye whilst reading one of the display boards… and must say she has no real interest in my hobbie what so ever (but is very understanding of my passion.. (God bless her)

When we got home she said i have to say i really enjoyed my Day.. She loves the 1940s we often hit the 40s shows circuits around the country as she loves the entertinment side of things (Ref Dance) so i guess you can say everyone is different in this world as far as opinions arise, but majority of visiters come away with only good things to say..

But like i say everyone is different.. and you have to respect that.

Well, we were in and out in the space of less than 10 minutes, so the ensuing placatory meal was considerable cheaper than that! 🙂

Quite so.

I visited the 39-45 Museum at Ambleteuse on Friday. It is a little gem, and I know that I can return with Mrs Moggy and she’ll be happy enough. It is single-minded in presenting a timeline illustrated by chronological dioramas of uniforms and equipment from each point in the war.

I also visited at least one such as you describe, and it would take a mind-bogglingly expensive Michelin-star standard meal in the evening to placate Mrs Moggy if I were ever to drag her there.

Moggy