To be happy the science museum and natural history museum might have an entrance fee soon

[Ironfistfunkymum]

It makes the place unbearably busy, often have to queue to get in and most people don't appreciate it. They are just going as its something "free".

apparently nearly half the visitors to the London art galleries and museums are tourists who do not have to pay.
places like the Louvre in France charge and still the visitors go

Free entry at DCMS-funded institutions is thought to have a spill-over impact on other cultural organisations. In 2011, Labour MP Tristram Hunt raised concerns that regional museums were being unfairly treated compared with London at a time when “eye-watering cuts to local authority budgets mean that councils are either closing museums or ratcheting up charges”.

What evidence do you have for "people not appreciating it if it's free" OP? For us it's relatively long commute across London and needing to pay for lunch somewhere: a day out if you will. How do you judge whether we've "appreciated" it.

I think its ridiculous to say people don't appreciate it because its free and that works for every single visitor.

If its all about easing congestion, then they could look into that - maybe by making free tickets pre-bookable, but to issue a blanket policy of charging in order to alleviate the queues is going to mean it is out of reach for many families, and that is sad.

Its also true that there are many paid attractions you have to queue for - Madame Tussards for example is horrendous at times, as is the London Eye, so how do they know it will even work?

Of course they should be free. I can't believe anyone would begrudge people free national museums and art galleries. I'm in Australia at the moment, and visited the fantastic free National Gallery of Victoria yesterday.

I've never mentioned bad behaviour, you've decided to invent that I'm snobby.

Its purely the huge numbers if people. We just don't go as its not enjoyable.

How do you know they don't appreciate it OP? What kind of behaviour would show appreciation?

You said yourself they are full - therefore being used. That's plenty iappreciation for me.

It's a great thing that these amazing resources are open to all regardless of income. Ask yourself why you want to shore that privilege up for well off kids only? What does that say about you?

Its phycology people just don't appreciate something if its free.

Only if you have money and you think you can afford sonething better. So actually the people that you want not to go are the people that can afford to pay and would still go while although those that are genuinely interested in what the museums have to offer and greatful it's free are exculuded. Yes that sounds like a fantastic idea lets fill them with people who have no interest don't know how to behave but hay they can afford to pay an enterence fee keep all the great unwashed out hay!

NHM has charged in the past - see www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15979878 for example. These museums do a hugely important job of inspiring children to study science, making this accessible only to those with money. The repercussions are much more than just how big the queue is, and children are uninfluenced by whether it is paid or not

ALL children should have access to museums, even the poor.
Yabvu and an elitist snob to boot.

You can become a member of NHM which avoids the queues.... So I think it's right that general admission should be free.

I joined as a member as my son has ASD and finds queues impossibly difficult.

As for the science museum.... If you go early, it's not that busy (nowhere near NHM)

I love both, and am often shocked how many kids have never been taken to either.

A lot of the people in these museums are tourists op....what is your point?

Well I'm presuming you've seen bad behaviour as a demonstration of people not appricating the resource. Because other wise how can you say people don't appricate it.

If people aren't screaming, running barging in to other people and are taking in what the exhibits are getting involved in the hands on exhibits. Then they are appricating it, their enjoying the experience and learning from it.

How do people demonstrate they don't aporicate these resources, if not through bad behaviour?!

We go to lots of free museums and I can assure you that we do appreciate them, we also couldn't go if they charged and even if it was free to those on benefits we still couldn't go as we don't claim any! Oh and before you say that if we didn't go out for lunch we could afford the entrance fee lunch costs maybe £15 for 4 rather than the £40/£50 entrance fees usually cost. But then again you obviously don't like the unwashed poor daring to make the lovely museums busy so it'd probably please you to make us stay at home!

Oh right you don't like the masses so you've decided they can't aporicate a resource as much as you. Well yes you are a snob then why are you entitled to enjoy something snd no one else!

I think it's awful, I read it a few weeks ago too.
Its an amazing fascinating place. Yes it's horrendously busy, but the things my children have seen have totally inspired them. I couldn't afford to take them if we had to pay. I went once as a child and rember begging to go back, but we couldn't afford it.
There are some cases where exhibits are owned by our country and so of course we should have access to view things we effectively own.

They are victims of their own wonderful success, they are beautiful inspiring places every person should have free and easy access too. The education received from one visit lasts a lifetime. I wouldn't want that just for those that can afford it.

You made up bad behaviour!

People express it by going to these places and being quite in deferent about it. Often just like they are inside somewhere to shelter for a bit. People will go anywhere if its free.

So you want fewer people there so that you can enjoy it more, and you don't care that people will now be excluded on the basis of wealth? And you think this is a morally robust argument you expect others to agree with?

Maybe they'll have to charge if they can't fund themselves otherwise. Charging as a means of reducing the number of people who access them would be awful!

If 99% of people are going to able to afford it (pah!) then surely the fee won't decrease the amount of people going and you still won't be able to appreciate the experience adequately anyway Iron

I am very much against introducing a fee. Why does it matter if some people aren't appreciating the museum? I quite often 'abuse' the British museum (at least in your eyes) by popping in for an hour between appointments or work times. To me it is just an interesting place to wander around for an hour.

Museums are there to educate, but also entertain, attract tourists (which ours do very well) and mark history in a way greater than just what is inside them. Seeing them as places for a one off day out that is never to be repeated and must be treasured for the rest of your life is really narrow minded.

Has everyone forgotten that they did used to charge an entry fee? It was the last labour government that made all the national museums remove their entry fee. I worked in the museum sector at the time and there was a lot of panic at the time as to how they would afford it. The sector had been run down by the previous conservative governments and struggled for cash even when they charged. If they're threatening to charge again, it will be because they need to because of funding cuts. When I worked in the sector lots of the big museums really struggled money wise. It was particularly apparent at the science museum, which was a run down mess for about 10 years. Don't forget that the NHM is a crucial centre for research and has an obligation to fund this as well.

Not saying I agree with fees, rather that this is something you should lobby the government about, rather than the museums.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC has a suggested donation and you are asked how much you would like to pay. It can be zero or it can be $1 or it can be the full amount which from memory is about $25 each.

DP and I chose to pay the full amount because we can afford to. If people can pay, they should do so that museums can remain free for those who can't.

All children should have access to museums and be able to learn and experience new things

Personally I think it's an awful idea. Of course they are busy. They are great museums. I can afford to pay for us all in (if I saved a little which I am able to do) which I why I always leave a decent donation and always make sure we buy a drink or cake or something in there.

However, I have many friends who couldn't. It's ok saying 'well if you can afford to get to London you can afford the attractions' is a bit ridiculous. I can afford the flights to Florida....but I can't afford the tickets into disney world.

The fact that the museums are free is a really help to some families, who can just about afford the train and a hotel for a night. The cost of museums would price many out. It would put the trip into 'unaffordable'.

I went to London last week. The train from Leeds to London cost £26 return each, because I picked the dates the tickets were cheaper. This is what families do, travel when they can get cheap deals...it makes it affordable.

You said yourself they are full - therefore being used.

Exactly! OP what show of appreciation would be acceptable to you? What do you do to show your 'appreciation'?

We had a wonderful trip to the Natural History Museum which tbh we would have had to reconsider if we'd had to pay. As a family of five outings can get prohibitively expensive. A museum is not just entertaining it is also educational. I think it should remain free.

YABU as families like us wouldn't be able to go.

Apologies for poor typos- it's too early!

Yabu.

What an awful way to see things.