Visit Date: 21 February 2008
Admission Price: At time of visit, the charges were as follows:
Adult - £5.00
Concessions - £4.20
Ages 5-16 - £3.00
Family - £12.00 (defined as 2 adults and up to 3 children)
Please check to see whether these charges have since been revised.
Ownership: Norwich City Council (Ownership), Norfolk & Norwich Heritage Trust (Management)
Tel. Number: 01603 663 922
Website: http://www.dragonhall.org/
Walkthrough: Audioguides are provided for you at the entrance before you walk through into the distinctly un-medieval glass gallery. Serving as an extension to the original building, the result allows visitors to look out into the landscaped yard. Within the gallery, there are podiums that each have models of the hall – one of the hall in its pomp, the other showing its location within Tudor Norwich – with related information panels on each side. The audioguide dictates the route towards the stairs and lift, leading up to the street level floor of the main building. This floor is split into three rooms, all of which have site-branded window blinds that block out the road outside. The initial room is a video re-enactment of the life of the building’s merchant owner Robert Toppes, where sensors send the audio of the video into the audioguide once visitors move towards the benches. The other two rooms are focused upon trading, life within Norfolk and the legend of the Snap Dragon, through information panels, artefacts and hands on features.
Doubling back to the staircases and lift, the upper level is the Great Hall itself. The wood beams extend down from the ceiling and into the walls, with a separating beam wall by the stairs at the far end of the hall. On the other side of that wall were tables laid out with activities for a later school visit, including wall-building and weaving. In the main area of the hall are movable tables, as the space is often hired out, with horizontal panels and hands on features, such as a wooden crown joint for visitors to build and a faux open book with some fabric pages to turn. There’s either the option of taking the far stairs that lead towards the Old Barge Room, where the local history of the outside road is showcased via panels, vintage photographs and display cases of local artefacts, or doubling back towards a different set of stairs from the ones that led up there. These stairs within the Tudor building itself lead down beneath the street level to the cellars. This level also splits itself into three areas, with panels and artefacts about the hall’s architecture, the archaeological dig that helped uncover the foundations and it’s Victorian history, when the hall was converted into terraced housing. The final stairs go even further down into the more spacious Undercroft with modern tiled flooring and replica woolsacks, chests and barrels to symbolise what used to be stored there.
Highlights:
- The audioguide.
- The Main Hall
- The Glass gallery
Lowlights:
- The outside traffic can drown out the audioguide at ground level.
Access: Slightly outside of the city centre of Norwich, the Dragon Hall is a five minute walk from the train station and whilst the site doesn’t provide a car park, there is a pay and display alternative on a nearby road by an alleyway that leads to the site. Whilst there are ramps and lifts within the building, the cellars and the undercroft of the building cannot be accessed by wheelchair users. To counter this, information about these areas are provided on the ground floor as well as through the audioguides.
Overall Impression: The Dragon Hall really brings to life the merchant history of the building, with a consistent focus on the life and times of Robert Toppes. Even if it isn’t an era of history that you might warm to as a visitor, the audioguide is very informative and the features should be varied enough to hold your interest. It was certainly worth the price of admission.
Thursday 13 May 2010
Sunday 9 May 2010
New Walk Museum and Art Gallery, Leicester
Visit Date: 14 February 2008
Admission Price: Free
Ownership: Leicester City Council
Tel. Number: 0116 225 4900
Website: http://www.leicester.gov.uk/your-council-services/lc/leicester-city-museums/museums/nwm-art-gallery/
Walkthrough: The mosaic-walled entry hall, where the museum’s stairwell is located, leads into the central area by the cafe, with galleries on either side. To the right of this area is The Mighty Dinosaurs, the museum’s most popular permanent gallery. The central space is made up of standing dinosaur skeletons, dominated by the large Rutland Dinosaur. Along the rail around this area are a number of standing information panels, which focus upon both the skeletons in front of them and the history of dinosaurs in general. There are also display cases around the walls which contain a variety of fossils whilst the fossilised remains of an amphibious dinosaur are displayed on the wall itself. The adjacent gallery is Leicestershire’s Rocks, which displays a number of minerals and ores that were mined locally. The majority of the gallery is taken up by the labelled displays of these rocks, although there are also exhibits of artefacts that have been made from similar minerals and a map of popular mining areas within Leicestershire.
The opposite wing of the building starts with Ancient Egyptians, a dimly lit area with a number of orange walls. Between these walls are a number of spotlight displays, with information panels alongside. The general theme is that of death and mummification, with the highlight being a partially unwrapped mummy lying across a sheet of glass within its display case with both parts of the sarcophagus standing vertically behind its owner. There is a separate mummified hand in a nearby display case, along with a mummified cat with a panel nearby explaining that they were popular offerings. There is also a fake mummy posing as though it has just burst through one of the walls, with an adjacent panel listing a number of films that have included living mummies. The displays aren’t wholly devoted to death however, as there are display cases containing labelled artefacts of jewellery and wooden models. There is also a reconstructed Egyptian kitchen area, with lighter wall colours, ceramic pots and a model kiln amongst other objects.
The nearby Wildspace gallery moves away from history, looking instead at the natural world and its various environments. These main displays run along the wall, with labelled exhibits of animal taxidermy that are local to that specific environment and complementary features. In addition to the general hands on area in the centre of the room, the environments are explained via video footage of live animals in their habitats, buttons that play lengthy audio accounts of the conditions animals face within these habitats and laminated pages of information attached to the desks in front of the display cases. There are subtle touches as well, such as water lighting effects on the whale model, which benefits from parts of the gallery being lit differently to create different atmospheric moods. The highlight of the interactive features for children may be the woodland environment’s tunnel beneath the main display, with more animals encased within both the tunnel and the trees, which displays insects as well as birds. After moving around the environments, the back wall by the entrance is illustrated with the causes of extinction and lists species that have died out.
The remaining room on the ground floor is an art gallery entitled Our World Through Art, meaning that visitors have to return to the lift area or stairwell for more exhibition galleries on the first floor. As well as the permanent art galleries, including World Arts and Expressionism and Beyond, there is also a fairly large temporary exhibitions space located by the top of the stairs. During my visit, the temporary exhibition was Ancient Greeks: Athletes, Warriors and Heroes, a touring exhibition that originated in The British Museum. The main exhibits within the display case were examples of Greek pottery and sculpture, whilst the far end of the gallery had a large television screen showing a slideshow of further artefacts that were not physically on display. This retained a stylistic feel as the seating provided was curved, as though it was a tier in a classical amphitheatre! There were also specific activities for younger visitors, such as traditional Greek games for them to try and a dressing up area by a mirror, with handheld wooden masks in the style of stock character types in Greek drama.
Highlights:
- Stylised galleries.
- The Mighty Dinosaurs
- Ancient Greeks: Athletes, Warriors and Heroes
Lowlights:
- Some very dated features.
- Route unclear and impaired by construction work.
Access: Situated on one of Leicester’s longest pedestrianised routes, the New Walk Museum also provides a car park, although there are only a limited number of spaces and it isn’t easy to locate either due to the one way system. Additionally, the museum is a five minute walk away from the train station and its bus stops. There are ramps throughout the ground floor for wheelchair users, as well as a lift up to the first floor.
Overall Impression: The New Walk Museum is a venerable attraction within Leicester, with some interesting galleries. Despite this, aside from the temporary exhibitions, a number of galleries have barely changed in the space of twenty years – something I can vouch for, having grown up in Leicester. As a result, some exhibits have dated and are in need of being replaced. The museum has started to refurbish its natural history and dinosaur galleries whilst continuing to put on temporary exhibitions. It is well worth seeking out.
Admission Price: Free
Ownership: Leicester City Council
Tel. Number: 0116 225 4900
Website: http://www.leicester.gov.uk/your-council-services/lc/leicester-city-museums/museums/nwm-art-gallery/
Walkthrough: The mosaic-walled entry hall, where the museum’s stairwell is located, leads into the central area by the cafe, with galleries on either side. To the right of this area is The Mighty Dinosaurs, the museum’s most popular permanent gallery. The central space is made up of standing dinosaur skeletons, dominated by the large Rutland Dinosaur. Along the rail around this area are a number of standing information panels, which focus upon both the skeletons in front of them and the history of dinosaurs in general. There are also display cases around the walls which contain a variety of fossils whilst the fossilised remains of an amphibious dinosaur are displayed on the wall itself. The adjacent gallery is Leicestershire’s Rocks, which displays a number of minerals and ores that were mined locally. The majority of the gallery is taken up by the labelled displays of these rocks, although there are also exhibits of artefacts that have been made from similar minerals and a map of popular mining areas within Leicestershire.
The opposite wing of the building starts with Ancient Egyptians, a dimly lit area with a number of orange walls. Between these walls are a number of spotlight displays, with information panels alongside. The general theme is that of death and mummification, with the highlight being a partially unwrapped mummy lying across a sheet of glass within its display case with both parts of the sarcophagus standing vertically behind its owner. There is a separate mummified hand in a nearby display case, along with a mummified cat with a panel nearby explaining that they were popular offerings. There is also a fake mummy posing as though it has just burst through one of the walls, with an adjacent panel listing a number of films that have included living mummies. The displays aren’t wholly devoted to death however, as there are display cases containing labelled artefacts of jewellery and wooden models. There is also a reconstructed Egyptian kitchen area, with lighter wall colours, ceramic pots and a model kiln amongst other objects.
The nearby Wildspace gallery moves away from history, looking instead at the natural world and its various environments. These main displays run along the wall, with labelled exhibits of animal taxidermy that are local to that specific environment and complementary features. In addition to the general hands on area in the centre of the room, the environments are explained via video footage of live animals in their habitats, buttons that play lengthy audio accounts of the conditions animals face within these habitats and laminated pages of information attached to the desks in front of the display cases. There are subtle touches as well, such as water lighting effects on the whale model, which benefits from parts of the gallery being lit differently to create different atmospheric moods. The highlight of the interactive features for children may be the woodland environment’s tunnel beneath the main display, with more animals encased within both the tunnel and the trees, which displays insects as well as birds. After moving around the environments, the back wall by the entrance is illustrated with the causes of extinction and lists species that have died out.
The remaining room on the ground floor is an art gallery entitled Our World Through Art, meaning that visitors have to return to the lift area or stairwell for more exhibition galleries on the first floor. As well as the permanent art galleries, including World Arts and Expressionism and Beyond, there is also a fairly large temporary exhibitions space located by the top of the stairs. During my visit, the temporary exhibition was Ancient Greeks: Athletes, Warriors and Heroes, a touring exhibition that originated in The British Museum. The main exhibits within the display case were examples of Greek pottery and sculpture, whilst the far end of the gallery had a large television screen showing a slideshow of further artefacts that were not physically on display. This retained a stylistic feel as the seating provided was curved, as though it was a tier in a classical amphitheatre! There were also specific activities for younger visitors, such as traditional Greek games for them to try and a dressing up area by a mirror, with handheld wooden masks in the style of stock character types in Greek drama.
Highlights:
- Stylised galleries.
- The Mighty Dinosaurs
- Ancient Greeks: Athletes, Warriors and Heroes
Lowlights:
- Some very dated features.
- Route unclear and impaired by construction work.
Access: Situated on one of Leicester’s longest pedestrianised routes, the New Walk Museum also provides a car park, although there are only a limited number of spaces and it isn’t easy to locate either due to the one way system. Additionally, the museum is a five minute walk away from the train station and its bus stops. There are ramps throughout the ground floor for wheelchair users, as well as a lift up to the first floor.
Overall Impression: The New Walk Museum is a venerable attraction within Leicester, with some interesting galleries. Despite this, aside from the temporary exhibitions, a number of galleries have barely changed in the space of twenty years – something I can vouch for, having grown up in Leicester. As a result, some exhibits have dated and are in need of being replaced. The museum has started to refurbish its natural history and dinosaur galleries whilst continuing to put on temporary exhibitions. It is well worth seeking out.
Thursday 6 May 2010
The Silk Mill, Derby
Visit Date: 3 February 2008
Admission Price: Free
Ownership: Derby City Council
Tel. Number: 01332 255308
Website: http://www.derby.gov.uk/LeisureCulture/MuseumsGalleries/Derby_Industrial_Museum.htm
Walkthrough: The route begins on the first floor at the front of the building, where the World Heritage Site Room is situated. The building’s niche of being the world’s first mill is conveyed by illustrated wall panels with information on the site’s history as well as printed sheets on a chair by the opposite doorway, talking about the alleged poisoning of the mill founder after his participation in industrial espionage for the designs of the throwing machines. The room displays one of these machines behind wooden barriers, along with a display case containing a model of the mill building at its height, a case containing silk products made at the mill and wooden mill building toys for visitors to assemble. By the exit, there is also a motion-triggered animatronic dummy of the mill owner within an office diorama, whose head turns for a brief audio history of the building.
The adjacent room is entitled Derbyshire Industries, although it shares Derby’s industrial past with the city’s social history. The diverse focus begins almost immediately, with the two doorways leading into the room arriving at a model of 18th century Derby (made in 1938) and a split 1890s/1990s recreation of children’s bedrooms, with panels comparing the two sets of conditions. The exhibits are split between the central feature of a chimney and an adjacent fireplace, where children upto a certain height are allowed to climb up both entrances as they are coated in foam to avoid injury. On one side of the chimney feature is a grandfather clock with a swinging pendulum and visible mechanism, a Victorian medicine counter with an information panel opposite the wooden barrier, and a reconstructed cottage with a panel in the interior. On the other side of the chimney is a Victorian school area with desks and a blackboard, a look at lead-mining and a free-standing push-button tower that looks at the process of a blast furnace. With no further central obstacles, the right hand side of the gallery continues to look at Derbyshire’s industries, with displays of stoneware, bricks, industrial pottery and steelworks – all of which have explanatory panels. On the left hand side is a narrow fabrics loom behind wooden barriers, a telephone exchange from the 1930s where visitors can dial one telephone to reach the other, and a model of a 90s train beside the ramp leading into the next room.
The train theme continues for the remainder of the floor, beginning with the Railway Engineering room. The centre is taken up by a signal box, whilst the right hand wall is fully taken up by an encased model railway, based upon an actual line that runs through Derbyshire. Although some buildings aren’t fully detailed, the painted mural backdrop, hilled landscape and detailed sections are very impressive. The railway is operational once a month (which wasn’t during my visit) and there is a collection box provided for “new rolling stock”, whilst the left side wall is coated in information panels, images and memorabilia (such as signs and signals) on Derbyshire’s railways. Before the stairwell, there is a side gallery entitled Railway Research. Dating from the early 90s, the majority of walls are occupied by backlit information panels on the railway system provided by the former British Rail (who sponsored the exhibition). Between these panels is the doorway into the Midland Railway Study Centre, an archive for train enthusiasts which can only be accessed when they make appointments to use the room. The main feature of the room is the cab of a 90s train, which has been converted into a theatre area as the windscreen has been replaced with a screen playing video footage of a train driver’s perspective of a train journey between Derby and Leeds. Not only is the footage strangely engrossing, the museum also happens to sell the footage on DVD in its gift shop!
Down the stairs, or the service lift if you ask the Front of House staff, is the temporary exhibition gallery, which was displaying a number of Model Ships (NB/ I missed the actual name of the exhibition). The models were contained within display cases and although there were no information panels for the models, the Front of House desk had printed information available as well as a member of staff at the table. To the side of the temporary exhibition gallery, directly beneath Railway Research, is the Power for Industry room. This features a number of machines, either in cases or behind a wooden barrier, with one particular large engine being turned on, like the model railway, on a monthly basis. There are hands-on features, with button-operated miniature engines and turn-able wheels to demonstrate how a piston works. Not all of the features were responsive, but there were panels for each feature, looking at various forms of power.
The final exhibition consists of Rolls-Royce engines, split between the main building and the side gallery containing the RB211 jet engine. As well as having Perspex information panels behind it, there is also a raised walkway to the side of it. Within the main building, the smaller engines are mounted with individual, coloured, standing panels beside them. There are also panels on the founders of the company, and its history, and an old computer console which will play one of two films depending on the button the visitor presses. Down the ramp, there is a play area on one side, with Lego, K’Nex and toy trains, and a machine that creates engine designs on the other side, as well as more engines. The route ends by the main Front of House desk, with gift shop displays on either side and a window display case nearby, containing school-related artefacts.
Highlights:
- Some very innovative forms of interpretation.
- The World Heritage Room
- The Train Cab
- The Model Railway
Lowlights:
- Some interactives were broken.
- There was not a lot of space devoted to the building's history.
- The social history area was very confusing.
Access: The Silk Mill is within the city centre of Derby, although it isn’t immediately visible. There is no car park provided, although there are pay and display spaces and a multi-storey car park nearby. There are lifts at both ends of the building as well as ramps, allowing wheelchair users full access to most of the site, with the exception of the RB211 walkway.
Overall Impression: The Silk Mill is an impressive site as it makes Derby’s industrial heritage engaging, despite having only a few interactive features. Although the ground floor isn’t as varied as the first floor and a few displays look slightly dated, the museum manages to cover most aspects of the city’s industrial past and attracts repeat visits from the monthly operation of both the model railway and the powered engine.
Update: 19 December 2009 – The ground floor has been rearranged since that visit, with the shop area moved fully against the left side wall. In place of the gifts opposite the main desk, there is now a drinks machine. The temporary exhibition gallery was hosting Derby City Open 3D, part of an annual art exhibition which displays 3D artworks, such as sculpture and ceramics. These are displayed in cases on white pedestals with captions attached to them.
Other notes:
- The museum closed down in April 2011. Derby City Council have pledged to re-open it in 2013.
- In the interest of full disclosure, I volunteered here over the summer of 2009.
Admission Price: Free
Ownership: Derby City Council
Tel. Number: 01332 255308
Website: http://www.derby.gov.uk/LeisureCulture/MuseumsGalleries/Derby_Industrial_Museum.htm
Walkthrough: The route begins on the first floor at the front of the building, where the World Heritage Site Room is situated. The building’s niche of being the world’s first mill is conveyed by illustrated wall panels with information on the site’s history as well as printed sheets on a chair by the opposite doorway, talking about the alleged poisoning of the mill founder after his participation in industrial espionage for the designs of the throwing machines. The room displays one of these machines behind wooden barriers, along with a display case containing a model of the mill building at its height, a case containing silk products made at the mill and wooden mill building toys for visitors to assemble. By the exit, there is also a motion-triggered animatronic dummy of the mill owner within an office diorama, whose head turns for a brief audio history of the building.
The adjacent room is entitled Derbyshire Industries, although it shares Derby’s industrial past with the city’s social history. The diverse focus begins almost immediately, with the two doorways leading into the room arriving at a model of 18th century Derby (made in 1938) and a split 1890s/1990s recreation of children’s bedrooms, with panels comparing the two sets of conditions. The exhibits are split between the central feature of a chimney and an adjacent fireplace, where children upto a certain height are allowed to climb up both entrances as they are coated in foam to avoid injury. On one side of the chimney feature is a grandfather clock with a swinging pendulum and visible mechanism, a Victorian medicine counter with an information panel opposite the wooden barrier, and a reconstructed cottage with a panel in the interior. On the other side of the chimney is a Victorian school area with desks and a blackboard, a look at lead-mining and a free-standing push-button tower that looks at the process of a blast furnace. With no further central obstacles, the right hand side of the gallery continues to look at Derbyshire’s industries, with displays of stoneware, bricks, industrial pottery and steelworks – all of which have explanatory panels. On the left hand side is a narrow fabrics loom behind wooden barriers, a telephone exchange from the 1930s where visitors can dial one telephone to reach the other, and a model of a 90s train beside the ramp leading into the next room.
The train theme continues for the remainder of the floor, beginning with the Railway Engineering room. The centre is taken up by a signal box, whilst the right hand wall is fully taken up by an encased model railway, based upon an actual line that runs through Derbyshire. Although some buildings aren’t fully detailed, the painted mural backdrop, hilled landscape and detailed sections are very impressive. The railway is operational once a month (which wasn’t during my visit) and there is a collection box provided for “new rolling stock”, whilst the left side wall is coated in information panels, images and memorabilia (such as signs and signals) on Derbyshire’s railways. Before the stairwell, there is a side gallery entitled Railway Research. Dating from the early 90s, the majority of walls are occupied by backlit information panels on the railway system provided by the former British Rail (who sponsored the exhibition). Between these panels is the doorway into the Midland Railway Study Centre, an archive for train enthusiasts which can only be accessed when they make appointments to use the room. The main feature of the room is the cab of a 90s train, which has been converted into a theatre area as the windscreen has been replaced with a screen playing video footage of a train driver’s perspective of a train journey between Derby and Leeds. Not only is the footage strangely engrossing, the museum also happens to sell the footage on DVD in its gift shop!
Down the stairs, or the service lift if you ask the Front of House staff, is the temporary exhibition gallery, which was displaying a number of Model Ships (NB/ I missed the actual name of the exhibition). The models were contained within display cases and although there were no information panels for the models, the Front of House desk had printed information available as well as a member of staff at the table. To the side of the temporary exhibition gallery, directly beneath Railway Research, is the Power for Industry room. This features a number of machines, either in cases or behind a wooden barrier, with one particular large engine being turned on, like the model railway, on a monthly basis. There are hands-on features, with button-operated miniature engines and turn-able wheels to demonstrate how a piston works. Not all of the features were responsive, but there were panels for each feature, looking at various forms of power.
The final exhibition consists of Rolls-Royce engines, split between the main building and the side gallery containing the RB211 jet engine. As well as having Perspex information panels behind it, there is also a raised walkway to the side of it. Within the main building, the smaller engines are mounted with individual, coloured, standing panels beside them. There are also panels on the founders of the company, and its history, and an old computer console which will play one of two films depending on the button the visitor presses. Down the ramp, there is a play area on one side, with Lego, K’Nex and toy trains, and a machine that creates engine designs on the other side, as well as more engines. The route ends by the main Front of House desk, with gift shop displays on either side and a window display case nearby, containing school-related artefacts.
Highlights:
- Some very innovative forms of interpretation.
- The World Heritage Room
- The Train Cab
- The Model Railway
Lowlights:
- Some interactives were broken.
- There was not a lot of space devoted to the building's history.
- The social history area was very confusing.
Access: The Silk Mill is within the city centre of Derby, although it isn’t immediately visible. There is no car park provided, although there are pay and display spaces and a multi-storey car park nearby. There are lifts at both ends of the building as well as ramps, allowing wheelchair users full access to most of the site, with the exception of the RB211 walkway.
Overall Impression: The Silk Mill is an impressive site as it makes Derby’s industrial heritage engaging, despite having only a few interactive features. Although the ground floor isn’t as varied as the first floor and a few displays look slightly dated, the museum manages to cover most aspects of the city’s industrial past and attracts repeat visits from the monthly operation of both the model railway and the powered engine.
Update: 19 December 2009 – The ground floor has been rearranged since that visit, with the shop area moved fully against the left side wall. In place of the gifts opposite the main desk, there is now a drinks machine. The temporary exhibition gallery was hosting Derby City Open 3D, part of an annual art exhibition which displays 3D artworks, such as sculpture and ceramics. These are displayed in cases on white pedestals with captions attached to them.
Other notes:
- The museum closed down in April 2011. Derby City Council have pledged to re-open it in 2013.
- In the interest of full disclosure, I volunteered here over the summer of 2009.
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