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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

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

369 replies

Ironfistfunkymum · 30/08/2015 07:06

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".

OP posts:
FrancesOldhamKelseyRIP · 30/08/2015 08:28

American Museum of Natural History charges a "suggested donation" of 22 dollars. If you want to pay less then you can, but you can't book online and have to queue up (queues are manageable). It's essentially a souped up version of what the Science Museum now does - they get 5 million visitors a year.

OneInEight · 30/08/2015 08:29

As long as they turn the heating off. We last max of 1 hour before we have to go out as a result of kids over-heating at these museums. Not so bad if you've not paid anything but for £50.00 I would want several hours. We've not been for a couple of years so maybe has improved.

I am also not convinced why those museums should be free but we are charged £££ to visit smaller museums outside of London. The ThinkTank for instance in Birmingham is expensive to get in and serves a similar role (although admittedly not as well).

CarriesBucketOfBlood · 30/08/2015 08:31

Maybebaby Last week I had an hour between meetings for work and did scandalously wander into the British Museum for 45 minutes during the school holidays. It is certainly possible if you know where you want to go and don't faff, even in the holidays. I looked around three rooms of medieval Europe.

That is casual, and wouldn't have been possible if I'd had to have dealt with registering for a free ticket in advance.

LyndaNotLinda · 30/08/2015 08:32

Grin @ Let Them Eat Cake BOOP - the OP is the person bringing her children up on a gluten free diet for no particular reason.

Iron, I'm beginning to suspect you're on a bit of a wind up Hmm

maybebabybee · 30/08/2015 08:33

Carries unfortunately summer brings all the professional faffers out Smile

I am impressed you managed to get into the British museum - don't work near that one so not sure if it gets as busy.

Iwanttobeadog · 30/08/2015 08:33

Too right. They're a huge drain on a small resource. All other arts and culture funding has been cut to the bone while these huge tourist attractions take an enormous portion. I'd like to see them free for UK residents but a charge for overseas visitors. Not sure that's workable though.

ChilliPeanut · 30/08/2015 08:34

I'm still not clear about what constitutes appreciation. Must we publicly display it? Confused.

I can't say we looked any different on leaving. None of us were visibly weeping with gratitude. We did talk about it all the way home and for some time to come, and I remember it as a lovely day out even though it was a couple of years ago. Is that enough? Hmm

lavendersun · 30/08/2015 08:35

We are members - use it a fair bit. I wouldn't mind paying but I can afford to. I like the minimum donation idea personally.

Bolshy, I remember the fees, there has been a fair bit in the news this year about funding cuts. The arts museum in York had to introduce a fee on reopening this year - £7.50.

We already buy a pass to our county's local museums as they haven't been free for years (adult entry £7 ish!), have one for the Greenwich museums.

The museums in Europe can be fairly expensive.

Not happy reading

www.museumsassociation.org/campaigns/funding-cuts

Kennington · 30/08/2015 08:40

Perhaps as a compromise a 1 pound entrance fee. I go all the time with my three year old to the nat history and science and I think outside of the dinosaur area it is fine we spend time in the earth galleries.
It would be a shame to charge for those who cannot afford it though.
I ensure I either donate or buy food or something from the shop.
It it a much better day out than some of the much more expensive places around.

FrancesOldhamKelseyRIP · 30/08/2015 08:41

British Museum, V&A, the art galleries and even the Science Museum are pretty much queue free year round (barring a couple of minutes for a bag check) and it's quite feasible to just drop in and check something out if you know exactly where you're going. The only free museum which has a serious queue is the Nat Hist - you definitely couldn't just dash in there for a quick half hour outside of school hours unless you're a member. We only ever go if we've bought tickets for an exhibition which enables us to bypass the queue, whereas we go to the Science Museum several times a year.

WhatamessIgotinto · 30/08/2015 08:41

What makes you think that the children of rich parents are more appreciative than the children of less well off parents.

This ^^

OP forgive me if you've already answered this question but I can't see that you have. I think it's an appalling idea to charge for all the reasons stated about. We went to the NHM last week yes it was busy, its a museum in the middle of London in the summer holidays, so of course it was, but if we didn't have a f & f rail card we probably couldn't have afforded the trip and we certainly couldn't afford to pay entry into NHM. My children loved it, why should they not have this experience.

MrsItsNoworNotatAll1 · 30/08/2015 08:42

They should remain free for everyone not just those few who afford it. And fwiw I do appreciate free stuff. It's a small bonus when you don't have very much money. I can only assume that as you are happy these museums might have an entrance fee soon that you have pots of it. Well lucky you!!

Rich kids are no more appreciative of a museum than less well off kids. My two love them and it's sickens me that people like you would be happy for them to miss out.

Yabvvvvvvvvvu

mollie123 · 30/08/2015 08:42

onein8 - I also felt that 'outside London' museums and art galleries get a raw deal considering the majority of England live outside London - don't know about Scotland or Wales though
I was shocked at the high percentage of foreign visitors to the London museums/galleries (how do they know and if they do know could they not extract a small fee from non-UK residents?)

AsTimeGoesBy · 30/08/2015 08:42

I've never taken my DCs to the NHM or SM because the queues and crowds put us off, also they are very outdoorsy children who haven't tended to enjoy other museums when we've taken them. However we will get round to it one of these days and the fact that they are free makes us much more likely to try because nothing is wasted if they do want to leave again after an hour, we can always try again another day. I have to say I found both these places very uninteresting as a child too, but grew to like them as an adult, so I'm hopeful for the same for the DCs.

Sirzy · 30/08/2015 08:45

To be fair to outside London areas there are museums and galleries that are free in both Liverpool and Manchester. They are fantastic for us as DS loves going in to see specific pre planned bits but struggles to do a whole day doing the whole place so we can just "nip in" (and donate, and normally visit the shop) which we couldn't do as often if we had to pay.

sleeponeday · 30/08/2015 08:45

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

Actually I think people are able to read. If you don't want to be considered snobby, perhaps you should re-evaluate the attitude in your posts.

TheoriginalLEM · 30/08/2015 08:49

yabu. afford a trip to london? costs us £20 in petrol. We pack up a lunch and go to the museums. Its an affordable day out for us. We might even have coffee and cake if feeling flush - so contribute financially to small businesses. if we had to pay a visit to the museums would be ruled out. then what would be the point?

i do agree about the nhm being so packed. but only the dinosaur bit. there is so much more to see

UhtredOfBebbanburg · 30/08/2015 08:50

Afford a trip to London but not afford a few pounds for a museum Hmm

This may come as a surprise to you...but brace yourself. Not everyone lives in London. Really. Crazy but true. And you have to get to London before you can go to the really good museums. And for many people the cost of getting to London is way more than the cost of the museum entrance would be and one or the other could be afforded but not both.

mollie123 · 30/08/2015 08:51

it seems that 'National' museums (DCMS supported) are free entry in all countries of the UK
but I would agree with the sentiment expressed below for those of us who live in smaller towns/poorer (cash-strapped) areas of the country:

Free entry at national museums has inevitably had an impact on the rest of the museums sector - particularly on independent museums, which rely on charging. This has led some to argue that free entry amounts to unfair government subsidy.

There is some evidence that charging museums - particularly those near newly free museums - have experienced a decline in visitor numbers. There was also a perception that free admission was weighted heavily in favour of apparently already wealthy London museums with little benefit to the whole spread of museums throughout the UK.

NaughtToThreeSadOnions · 30/08/2015 08:53

Missing out on what exactly? Standing in a sweaty mass for 3 hours to look at a dinosaur skeleton over the heads of 3000 other people.

Well I've never had to stare over 3,000 people, and trust me being aspie I would mind that a lot!
Missing out on finding a passion learning about our culture and past.
Learning and the gaining of knowledge!

Yes I've queued, but once inside I've found the crowds dispearce!

CombineBananaFister · 30/08/2015 08:54

YABVU - I live oop North and they've just started charging in my town for the once free museums, and not an unsubstantial amount either.

Yes, there are exceptions made for those on benefits and those who are wealthy will be fine but those like me who are on minimum wage (so have very little disposable income) totally miss out as per usual.

We have a thriving tourist industry which I am greatfull for as it provides so many jobs, but those working in it and living here and putting up with the problems that industry causes can't afford to actually do stuff in our own area. To me its's starting to feel very 'upstairs/downstairs - bike in, do your shift, cater to the tourists and wealthy then pissoff back home please, fuck-you-very-much Angry

Original poster
Ironfistfunkymum · 30/08/2015 08:55

*Iwanttobeadog

Too right. They're a huge drain on a small resource. All other arts and culture funding has been cut to the bone while these huge tourist attractions take an enormous portion. I'd like to see them free for UK residents but a charge for overseas visitors. Not sure that's workable though.*
Very good point! All this "free "stuff has a knock on affect.

OP posts:
CarriesBucketOfBlood · 30/08/2015 08:58

I think the knock on effect might be greater access for low income children and greater social justice.

But that's just my thoughts

NotMeNotYouNotAnyone · 30/08/2015 09:00

Yabu

What you want is to keep out the poor masses and have it all to yourself

YeOldeTrout · 30/08/2015 09:01

Selfishly, I would love a high(ish) fee during school holiday times for the 2 London museums in OP. Moderate price on term time weekends, and low or free on school days. Discounts for local residents.

We went to London on hols & the museums were a nightmare, low point of the trip. I could cough up the entry price as part of the whole holiday if I knew when we got in the place wouldn't be a complete zoo.