I've spent the last few days up in Scotland. The main reason for this was to go to a reunion of friends that I was in Africa with ten years ago but I took the opportunity to spend a few days with my parents relaxing and generally having a break from the soul-destroying grind that is job hunting.
While I was up there, my dad and I spent the days going round some museums. Part of this was general curiosity partly about their contents, partly because the ones we visited had been recently renovated, redeveloped and, in one case, even relocated. These were places I visited a lot as a kid of various ages, partly for the latent exhibits, partly for special exhibitions and workshops so each place was heavy with memories. The fact that I was on a bit of a nostalgia high after the reunion probably contributed to my desire to revisit these places but mainly I was curious, these projects have been publicised for years.
The first one dad and I visited was the National Museum of Scotland in Chambers Street, Edinburgh. I have a long, long history with this place having visited it more times that I would care to count. I have even spent the night in there as part of the children's science festival and been on a torch-light tour at some ungodly hour. I was also part of a forensic science workshop where I first learned some of the techniques I would later use in my degree.
My overall reaction was a bit mixed. I certainly don't like the old entrance hall. They have removed the iconic fountains that were a centrepiece of the hall and moved the totem pole which used to stand by the entrance. Instead the entrance has been moved down a level into what was, I presume, a basement. This feature I rather liked. The dimly-lit vaulted ceilings and bare sandstone walls gave the impression of being in a whisky cellar.
As for the rest of the museum, I thought the new layout was generally rather good. The grouping of exhibits was logical and the various galleries were linked well (although there were a few too many animal models hanging off the ceiling of the biology section making it a bit different to work out what was what). Also, there was a bit too much information contained within computerised touch-screen display panels which meant pulling a few interesting shapes to look into a cabinet while reading some background information on the exhibit. The computer displays also relied a lot on videos, audio recording and (pointless) sound effects which meant that I found the level of background noise almost unbearably high. Although not necessarily loud it was always there and at a level which made it difficult to process the information one was obtaining.
The history of Scotland section which is in the west extension was another change. I liked the way that different eras were presented on different levels. Display labels were also much more prevalent which I liked and again, it was fairly logically presented. My two main complaints would be that the layout of the floorspace is needlessly complicated making it a bit like a maze (at one stage, dad and I found ourselves standing on a balcony looking at the coffee shop and faced with either backtracking and trying another arm to get a coffee or contemplating a James Bond style leap). Also, the recent history of Scotland had a seriously left-wing political bias which is not only misrepresentative but also desperately short sighted as it ignores not only right-wing figures but apolitical figures in science and the arts.
Most of these observations are, if not minor details, then certainly enough to put anyone off a visit if they are considering it, just my personal observations coloured by my memories of how it was. Importantly (from a small boy's perspective at least) the mechanically working models of various vehicles were still there!
The other museum we went to was the museum of transport in Glasgow. As well as the many generic memories I have from my younger days, it is also the site of one of the few really concrete memories I have of my maternal grandfather so it has always been a bit special. As well as a mock-up of an old Glasgow street there were lots of wonderful old cars, motorbikes, busses and (critically for a four year old boy) trains and fire engines.
Since I last visited, the museum has moved from it's original site in Kelvingrove to it's new home on the banks of the Clyde. The move came with a new building and an evidently high architect's bill. From the outside it was impressive. Moving in itself was a bit of a mixed blessing. On the one hand, by being beside the river, it can include the tall ship berthed in Glasgow adding another layer to the experience. It is also next to the heliport so, although probably not intentional, helicopters of various shapes and sizes can be seen too. The downside it that I imagine it will be quite hard to access without a car.
On the inside, the museum is open plan so it's easy to track what one has and hasn't seen. Although I'm sure there is an order to the layout however it's not immediately obvious which can be a bit of off-putting. Again there is a bit too much in the way of computer displays with badly filmed and excruciatingly camp videos which gives a cartoonish dimension to a lot of the exhibits. They have also stacked lots of fantastic classic cars vertically on one wall making it almost impossible to actually see lots of them. I can't help thinking they would have been better spending less money on fancy buildings and used it to buy a bigger plot of land so everything could be displayed at eye level. For some reason they also saw fit to display lots of vintage clothing (including a ceramic 'muff warmer' which raised a schoolboy giggle) which I didn't quite understand.
On a more positive note, they still have the beautiful steam trains and classic fire engines of my youth. They also have some incredible scale models of ships built in Glasgow that they obtained from the shipyards who built them (apparently building a scale model was routine). The reproduction of the old Glasgow street was also still there and still looking good. There was also an '80s ambulance with an interesting display of old medical equipment which the ambulance geek in me enjoyed and there were some stunning views over the east end of Glasgow.
Again, despite my criticisms, it is certainly worth a visit for adults, kids and overgrown small boys alike.
Hope you enjoyed my little ramble through some of Scotland's museums and, if it has prompted you to go, that you enjoy them.
JR
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