Keeping us in the dark.

With due respect Alan I think that while the points you raised are valid they don’t address the point of pricing people out of visiting. If you live close to Duxford then a pass is good value. I don’t for example so if I wish to visit it is a considerable amount of travel expenditure and then full price tickets as it is unlikely I’ll be able to make another trip. These memberships only work if you are reasonably local or wealthy enough to travel back and forth.
!

Both my wife and I are retired and don’t have big pensions. We are 60 miles from Duxford, and after making three
trips last year, thought the 12 month pass was worth getting this year. Yes, if you live a couple of hours or more
away, it can still get to be an expensive day out, once you have eaten etc.

As far as the CADW membership is concerned, I don’t think we used it at all last year, as we haven’t been away for a while.
There aren’t too many of their properties around here either. The nearest being Audley end. We have just renewed
it though.

Surely the way individual museums are funded will have a bearing on what they charge. I wonder if comparing say the IWM to the Fitzwilliam makes any sense. Perhaps the University supports the museum.

But that apart why on earth would they ask for donations in Euros….? Even the scores of foreign visitors will have English currency.

To the best of my knowledge, the Fitzwilliam is one of a number of museums in Cambridge run by the University.
In much the same way Oxford University run the Ashmolean and Pit Rivers museums in Oxford.
They have some lovely collections.

I’m reasonably local but I’m not that wealthy. I’m retired.

Oh, hang on I’ve got a Civil Service pension, scrub that. 😀

Brian

Well done.

These memberships only work if you are reasonably local or wealthy enough to travel back and forth.

I’m reasonably local but I’m not that wealthy. I’m retired.

Oh, hang on I’ve got a Civil Service pension, scrub that. 😀

Brian

A lot of museums do free entry for those living in the local town or city.
Some let you return for free within 12months. (Such as the Buck House visits)
With the annual pass at Duxford, if my wife and I go three times, it’s only cost us £5.90 each per visit.

We also belong to CADW, the Welsh equivalent of English Heritage (and cheaper). £42 per year to allow us
free entry into EH properties. It’s all down to personal choice

Museums have to strike a balance. Charge and lose their subsidies. Allow free entry and hope the subsidies
cover their costs.

With due respect Alan I think that while the points you raised are valid they don’t address the point of pricing people out of visiting. If you live close to Duxford then a pass is good value. I don’t for example so if I wish to visit it is a considerable amount of travel expenditure and then full price tickets as it is unlikely I’ll be able to make another trip. These memberships only work if you are reasonably local or wealthy enough to travel back and forth.

Likewise English Heritage like the National Trust offer a membership but in some areas of the country there are very few places to visit whilst others are saturated. Also the National Trust spend very little on interpretation of their exhibits and instead rely on retired ladies in twin sets with laminated sheets!

I pop into Hendon when I am working in the area, maybe 3-4 times a year for a hour, or two, each time. If there was a Duxford-esque charge (apart from parking) I would only visit every 5 years or when something big happened. When I visit I normally buy something in the cafe, and sometimes the shop, that brings in income they would not otherwise get. Duxford is far too expensive, combined with fuel it would be a £50 day out, admission should be about £10 IMHO. Most of my visits were when Helitech was held there and is you registered as a visitor the museum was free.

Surely the way individual museums are funded will have a bearing on what they charge. I wonder if comparing say the IWM to the Fitzwilliam makes any sense. Perhaps the University supports the museum.

But that apart why on earth would they ask for donations in Euros….? Even the scores of foreign visitors will have English currency.

Alot of the “free” museums ,art galleries ask for a donation ,i have seen 5-6 euros being suggested per person on the collection receptacle .Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge and the National portrait gallery in London so i would guess that is what they would like.Makes Duxfords entrance fee look expensive.
Adult £17.50 £15.90
Child (5-15, under 5’s free) Must be accompanied by an adult £8.75 £7.95

A lot of museums do free entry for those living in the local town or city.
Some let you return for free within 12months. (Such as the Buck House visits)
With the annual pass at Duxford, if my wife and I go three times, it’s only cost us £5.90 each per visit.

We also belong to CADW, the Welsh equivalent of English Heritage (and cheaper). £42 per year to allow us
free entry into EH properties. It’s all down to personal choice

Museums have to strike a balance. Charge and lose their subsidies. Allow free entry and hope the subsidies
cover their costs.

Have any of the complainants actually tried this approach?

Yes, on a very quiet day, in fact, apart from the security-staff, I was the only person in the Battle-of-Britain hall…

…I was told, none too politely, that I had to stay on the carpet! Maybe I asked the wrong person?

More to the point, doesn’t the fact that you or I would have to ask for special permission kind-of suggest that the aircraft could be better laid-out?

To put my gripe into perspective I have no such issues with the layout of the other end of the same hall; I can see the Sunderland, Walrus, V2 and Lysander from almost any angle (even above in the case of the Sunderland) and all in much better natural lighting…

…and there doesn’t seem to be the need for any ‘security’ down that end of the hall!

How many visitors to free London museums like the Science Museum or Natural History Museum are foreign tourists?

I’m all for ‘free’ museums but as has been said no free museum is actually free if it is supported by the taxpayer. It is not an easy equation; tourism is a big industry in this country and London is a popular but expensive destination already.

Re no-one seeing the back of the Ju88 for forty years. About ten years back (maybe a little more, but a lot less than forty) I was interested in finding how the section changed from square at the bombbay to a vertical rectangle at the tail. This was very badly represented in models and on drawings – probably because it is very difficult to determine from most photographs of the area. So I went to Hendon and asked an attendant if I could go and look close-up. He said yes, so I did. To be fair, this was in a very quiet period with few other visitors in the area – and no school parties!

Have any of the complainants actually tried this approach?

No there isn’t. You pay your entry first as a taxpayer. But then you pay again the princely sum of £16 at somewhere like Duxford.

Cutting free entry to museums would consign a large section of the population to missing out on arts and heritage resources that should be a right. These are national collections and the nation comprises of more than just those who have the income to afford museum entry fees.

Is there such a thing as free entry to a Museum?

National museums and collections are funded directly by central government and with most government departments having to find 40% savings, I can see free entry to all museums ceasing as part of the cut backs.

Brian

Like at Duxford or Yeovilton you mean?

Duxford is a bit different in that there are a few private owner/operators who keep the museum “live”. If they disappeared then Duxford could end up as an [albeit expensive] storage area like Hendon and i suspect the crowds would also diminish.I have been round Duxford in the winter and only a handful of visitors there.
Regarding the lighting at Hendon couldn’t they put more lights in and on a timer so every 15 mins the lights go up for a short period of time.

Yes. Maybe compromise is needed.

I think fundamentally they should be free but Duxford’s entry prohibits entry to those with less expendable income. I firmly believe that heritage should be available to all.

There is however a creeping undercurrent on this forum that rears its ugly head which often suggests that some are less deserved of access to our national collections than others. The comment made about longing for the days of paying for an entry fee is so so short sighted.

Because unfortunately we live in a country where (public) money is in short supply.

I’m not opposed to some sort of charge to visit museums but think there is too much difference between, say, Hendon (free) and Duxford (£17.50).

Like at Duxford or Yeovilton you mean?

Exactly. They shouldn’t charge. Why do Duxford, FAAM and Belfast for example charge whilst Lambeth and IWM North are free? It’s not consistent and cost prohibitive for many families and individuals.

It is better than the ‘untented tunnel’ on the way to the Battle-of-Britain hall when it’s raining!

Not to mention the tented tunnel that visitors have to pass through to get into the main building. It has the appearance of a temporary structure but has been there for 12 years now