Battle of Britain “beacon" – A Suggestion:

Swanky new flats is obviously a realistic and probably very successful alternative.
My contention was that most tourists visiting RAFM were likely to travel by underground. If the area between Colindale station and the RAFM had upmarket shops and cafes /restaurants then there was always the chance that these visitors would spend some time and money in the area around the museum instead of getting through it as quickly as possible. Most of us know that a while spent in a shop where the wife sees something she wants can ultimately mean getting away with spending more time at the museum we really came to the area to visit.
The better quality shops would lead to rises in the value of commercial property meaning a rise in business rates leading to more local government income for further regeneration.
I admit this is a slower process than building swanky flats but to be honest I haven’t visited Hendon for a long time so I hadn’t realised that any regeneration was taking place.
As admission is free at Hendon you would logically think that visitors would spend a bit more in the shop but in my experience this is not the case.
When I ran a shop at Brands Hatch circuit there was one meeting each year where spectators got free admisiion by showing acopy of the Daily Mail (who sponsored the race meeting) at the gate. generally speaking this proved to be one of the worst days of the year in terms of shop takings and even the food stalls reckoned their takings were down as many of the spectators brought their own food with them. It seemed to be a case of free admission meant that the public had little or no expectation of sppending any money at all if they could avoid it.

Having spent the vast majority of my formative years living in Merseyside -the notion of Hendon /Colindale being ‘run down’ isn’t quite the same vista as the ‘up North’ version of ‘run down’ !!!!

Try living there for a year

Not really sure how more visitors to RAFM Hendon will actually lift the fortunes of the entire area, visitor numbers and spend being so small (museum still free to enter)? I would have thought that building swanky new flats would be hugely more effective, and that seems to be happening already.

Maybe the beacon design could be ‘recycled’ on the Thames ; would the Heathrow Concorde fit, sitting vertically on its tail? I’d pay to see that! 😀

Pumping money into the RAFM has merit, regenerating the Hendon area has merit, the beacon building design has merit and remembering the Battle-of-Britain (and all other RAF history) certainly has merit but it doesn’t follow that all these things can be best served in one iconic project.

Having spent the vast majority of my formative years living in Merseyside -the notion of Hendon /Colindale being ‘run down’ isn’t quite the same vista as the ‘up North’ version of ‘run down’ !!!!

To my understanding the ‘beacon’ is also to be used as a starting point to revitalise the whole Hendon/Colindale area with investment (which it does need) and to make the RAF museum a focal point for tourism in the area.
Also just to add in a recent interview the new head of the RAFM stated that the aircraft in the beacon would be models which is a switch from what has been said before.curlyboy

Quite agree that the area around Hendon is run down and needs investment but to my mind improving the RAF Museum in terms of opening all areas all the time and getting staff to interact with visitors and working at better ways to promote the museum to tourists would be far more constructive than a landmark monstrosity (sorry -building) which seems even more pointless if it will be filled with models.
If the RAF Museum was attracting more tourists then surely they would bring more money into the area generally which in turn should help with regeneration.
The problems aren’t unique to the RAF Museum. I took the trip by Metro and bus from central Paris to the Musee de L’Air and the area between the Metro and Le Bourget isn’t exactly one of the most prosperous areas of Paris. The Musee de L’Air seem to get by with imaginatively positioned walkways that allow you to get different views of many exhibits and exhibition halls whioch are quite well lit (although they too have staff who make no attempt to engage with visitors). I don’t hear of any plans for them to spend millions on inappropriate landmark buildings nor of them attempting to lead any regeneration of the area.
It is also worth bearing in mind that a little interaction with visitors might just create a greater understanding of the exhibits which could just lead to a little less vandalism as knowledge and understanding of what you are looking at may tend to generate respect for the exhibits rather than seeing them as lifeless lumps ripe for destruction. .

Were you on the lash again last night Phillip?!!

Only my usual four cans of Pepsi Max, though I might have over done the choc ices – four in one evening. It was warm in ‘ull last night.

Already being proposed in another format Phillip http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showpost.php?p=1580917&postcount=81

What I propose (although probably suggested by others too) is that the beacon or tower be build near the River Thames in the City of London. I would imagine that the government (local or central) might have a parcel of land available. I would also propose an extension to the beacon or tower – one as striking but smaller – to house both Heathrow’s Concorde and a select number of iconic, yet small British aircraft (though without taking airframes from Hendon). Another idea I have is to move the Comet at Cosford to London – finished without markings – yet highly polished. Perhaps there could be a joint venture with the Science Museum (Supermarine S6 and Whittle Jet).

Were you on the lash again last night Phillip?!!

New Oxford Dictionary of English
folly– noun

“2. a costly ornamental building with no practical purpose, especially a tower or mock-Gothic ruin built in a large garden or park. “

To my understanding the ‘beacon’ is also to be used as a starting point to revitalise the whole Hendon/Colindale area with investment (which it does need) and to make the RAF museum a focal point for tourism in the area.

If you put it in the centre of London it will just become another curio like the eye and tate modern but would it divert the general tourist away from the many other London tourist draws?

Also just to add in a recent interview the new head of the RAFM stated that the aircraft in the beacon would be models which is a switch from what has been said before.

curlyboy