I agree wholly with the points made about maintaining a relevant, not over-crammed collection and the value of tying exhibits together thematically- and in my experience this is something UK aviation museums could often do better. In an ideal world it would be wonderful to see more of the smaller “regional” volunteer-run museums consolidating overflowing and eclectic collections into a locally relevant (or at least thematically consistent) “story”, through which visitors can move with a sense of logical progression, admiring beautifully-kept exhibits in airy surroundings free from clutter. One of the things I find most tiring in a museum or collection is being overwhelmed by a great mass of material, often crammed into every available corner with each object not really relating intuitively to the next.
Of course, in practice space and money are limited, and if a new building is commissioned, understandably the owners try and cram as many exhibits into it as possible, to protect them and make the best use of their precious space. While it would be lovely to see many small museums more like my vision above, it’s impossible to blame them for the difficulties of trying to protect and show a collection which is too large for the available space. Bequeathed items may have been given in good faith even if not always of a consistent quality or relevance to the remit, and it’s easy to sympathise with a curator trying to respect the wishes of the original owners by displaying them. The “treasure trove” atmosphere can also be very appealing in smaller museums-and of course it’s a matter of balance between cluttered and empty.
One such example which, to me, seems to use space with rather uneven success is the Norfolk and Suffolk museum at Flixton. Before someone accuses me of being unduly harsh, I should point out that I loved this museum when I visited last year on an event day, and found a treasure trove of wonderful artefacts, friendly staff and plenty of interested visitors. However it clearly suffers from a chronic shortage of space (or a surfeit of exhibits) which led to hangars being crammed to the brim-not just with aircraft-but with recovered wreckage, models, text to read, artefacts and other paraphernalia. I undoubtedly missed interesting things in the mass of exhibits, and it was a particular shame that one of the most significant aircraft (the Vickers Valletta) was slowly corroding outside for lack of hangar space. Amongst all of this, there were still some wonderful things, such as an excellent display of Air Sea Rescue equipment, autogiros designed by the late President (Ken Wallis), and the Lightning development aircraft.
Outside of aviation, some of the best museums I have been to are on the continent, particularly in Scandinavia. The Viking Ship Museum in Oslo is a pre-eminent example-stunning exhibits (both huge and tiny) housed with plenty of space to admire them in a breathtaking, if simple building. Well worth a visit!
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