Comments

Thanks for incredible photos - Tony seems to be a brilliant one.

Posted by Sean at March 13, 2006 11:58 AM

Don't wish to shatter your illusion of Tonys greatness, but the vast majority of public museums in the UK have had free entry for as long as I can remember.

Posted by paul at March 13, 2006 12:16 PM

... shattered and am in tatters ...

Posted by Sean at March 13, 2006 12:22 PM

Free? There is no free lunch. These public museums are supported somehow, probably through taxes, which are most likely higher in order to pay for the upkeep. This makes everyone pay to support something not everyone uses. Not that this model is wrong, but it certainly isn't free.

The quality of the British museums is supreme, however. They would be worth paying to see.

Posted by Mike at March 13, 2006 1:05 PM

Re "free forever," I guess I'm not the expert. But about 2 years ago, I went to the Greenwich naval museum to "see" GMT. There was a long queue, because this was the first day the museum was not charging admission. (Note: "not charging admission," rather "free.")

Posted by tom peters at March 13, 2006 1:20 PM

I have no objection to my taxes subsidising our wonderful British heritage in museums. We owe our forefathers much and the least we can do is to remember their sacrifices for us.

Posted by Trevor at March 13, 2006 2:45 PM

Free is unique? Nope; free admission to the Smithsonian museums & National Zoo.

Posted by Hutch at March 14, 2006 12:27 AM

Yes it may cost tax payers but I bet it pays for itself in terms of overall tourist revenue. Very difficult to put a ROI on culture or heritage!

Posted by PaulH at March 14, 2006 12:12 PM

"Very difficult to put a ROI on culture or heritage!" PaulH, hard to put a specific number, but London aims to be the New York of Century 21, and its the mix of the V&A anfd the Gerhkin and the like ad nauseum that are the heart of the matter. The vitality of London is the pride of place of modern England--and there is much to be proud about. Juan Enrique ("As the World Catches," one of my Top 5 favs) says the future is about constrained "empires of the mind." Britain-London is one of the handful of Masters of this new flavor of empire. (No matter how f%^&*@ up the NHS is, Trevor.)

Posted by tom peters at March 15, 2006 7:07 AM

Good observation Tom - there is a real good market at the moment selling incontinence pads to NHS managers as they grapple with yet another re-organisation and wondering who will be stabbing them in the back – but the stabbing is always done with a smile – Glad to be out of it! – Give me my new independence ever time – sadly it took me 35 years to find that one out! I guess my late beloved Dad was right all along when he said it was about time I got a real job.

Seriously the NHS has some fundamental problems and I have a lot of time for staff in the NHS at the front line and indeed many managers who are trying to stop the water coming in to the ship with their fingers in huge holes rather than building a new ship.

Posted by Trevor at March 15, 2006 7:35 AM

The impact of "free" London museums has been much wider than reported. It used to be that you had to pay to access them (sorry, Paul), so they became days out. You had kids being dragged around by adults determined to get their money's worth. You spent a day at one, maybe two museums.

Now you can pop in to one for an hour or two (less if you want), wander round for a bit and pop off somewhere else. Great for the tourist who can see more of London (without feeling ripped off by all those high fees!) Great for the city dweller, who can drop in as the urge takes them.

My family and I often trot down to the Natural History museum or the science museum. We spend a couple of hours until the attention span of a 7 year old wears off, then wander on somewhere else. And the other day I took one of my daughters for a 45 minute, her jaw was on the floor, tour of a few of the paintings in the Portrait gallery.

All I'd ask is if you do pop in to a museum drop a few coins in to the collection tin.

Ross

Posted by Ross Hall at March 16, 2006 9:20 AM