Museums

[SiriusHardware]

Duxford: One of my all time favourite museums, and certainly my favourite air museum. I was just there a couple of weeks ago for the 'Flying Legends' airshow. On that occasion the airshow itself fully occupied my time but I would thoroughly recommend a visit on a non-event day in order to have time to see everything. There's a good land warfare section at Duxford as well.

The two RAF museums at Hendon, London and Cosford, near Telford are also very good, but Duxford is more of a 'living' museum as there are a significant number of airworthy historic aircraft based there, so it's not unusual to see something interesting flying around on any day you might happen to be there.

[G3VKM_Roger]

Originally Posted by yesnaby

Yes, I was in Hoswick last May and the radio section (in a gift shop) has sadly dwindled away.

Thanks for that info and sorry to hear that the collection has been broken up. I still have some photos of my visit fortunately and there were some quite rare items.

I was particularly interested in the Tiger T100 transmitter Cecil had as at the time I owned one which was working and on loan to the Muckleburgh Collection Radio Hut, another radio museum that has since folded, although they are now at the Norfolk Tank Museum.

Thanks and 73 to you Cecil if you're on here.

Roger/G3VKM

Slough museum is now a series of "pods" in their new Curve centre (a cross twixt coffee shops, library and free internet points), at least they have kept some of it showing Slough's history.

Worth a visit if you ever get within a mile or so of it. The building its self is also worth a look.

[Phil G4SPZ]

I visited a great museum today, the Anglesey Transport Museum or Tacla Taid: http://angleseytransportmuseum.co.uk

This is much more than a transport museum, though. Although the majority of exhibits are automotive-related, there are numerous vintage radios, a Sobell 405-line TV, a Fidelity Playmaster, a host of vintage domestic electrical appliances, meters, tools, stationary engines, generators, field telephones, searchlights... they even have several NOS 10 volt lead acid accumulators. My own quirky interests in model steam engines, paraffin blowlamps, Tilley lamps, Primus stoves etc were all well catered for.

You may also get time to look at the old cars, tractors, military vehicles and even the Hawker Hunter. Altogether an eclectic display with plenty of excellent explanatory material in a fine period setting. And at just £5.50 entry (senior) with a cafe and kids' play area, there's really nothing to dislike. It's quite easy to find, too, being not a million miles from Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwrndobwllllantisiliogo gogoch.

Phil

[Restoration73]

I stumbled across this by accident - I wonder if anyone can offer a report ;

https://www.gwefrhebwifrau.org.uk/index.php/en/

The Trenchard Museum in the grounds of RAF Halton, bit of a palava getting in, worth it. https://www.trenchardmuseum.org.uk/

[stitch1]

Beamish Museum has a nice tempory display in their entrance which includes radios and TVs thought I’d share a couple of pics.

I’m looking forward to the 1950s town they’re building as part of ‘remaking Beamish’.

www.beamish.org.uk/about/remaking-beamish

John

[Phil G4SPZ]

Some nice sets there. I assume that the Televisor is a replica, but I might be wrong. Or just jealous!

[Peter.N.]

We shall do our annual trip to Beamish in September. They had made a start on the '50s town last year, don't know how far they have got. There are a few electronic items in the big shed by the farm also a Rayburn the same as the one we had for many years, in fact a lot of stuff is from my era.

Peter

[SiriusHardware]

In a few weeks' time I may have an opportunity to spend a weekend down-country, somewhere around Biggleswade. While I'm there I plan to take in two museums I have never had the opportunity to visit, namely:

The National Museum Of Computing (Bletchley)

The Centre For Computing History (Cambridge)

I assume the first either is, or is as close to being, the 'official' national museum of computing. The second seems more like an independent affair but looks to have a good range of exhibits including plenty from the seventies / eighties home-computer era which I am interested in.

One thing I've never been very clear about is the relationship between TNMOC and its on-site partner Bletchley Park, (as in the historic codebreaking centre). Can these be visited as one entity, or are they completely separate?

[Radio Wrangler]

The people there aren't certain of the relationship between the two co-sited museums!

The National Museum of Computing is quite separate from Bletchley Park and on entering you have to remember to pay separately for admission to each.

There may well be reasons etc etc, but it looks silly to the average visitor.

There is also the Radio Society of Great Britain's national radio centre there on the site as well. I think that's free. They just want visitors in the hope of converting them to amateur radio,

David

[SiriusHardware]

It does sound silly. I was hoping there would be a rational explanation which I happened to have missed. The RSGB's bit, which I was not aware of, is presumably embedded in the Bletchley sphere due to the radio interception angle?

It sounds like I am going to have a very long day out (I tend to arrive at museums quite early and stay there until I get kicked out at closing time).

[KeithsTV]

We visited the Beamish museum last weekend and found a display of Radios, TVs, old computers and video games in the entrance building.

Keith

[trh01uk]

Originally Posted by Radio Wrangler

The people there aren't certain of the relationship between the two co-sited museums!

The National Museum of Computing is quite separate from Bletchley Park and on entering you have to remember to pay separately for admission to each.

There may well be reasons etc etc, but it looks silly to the average visitor.

There is also the Radio Society of Great Britain's national radio centre there on the site as well. I think that's free. They just want visitors in the hope of converting them to amateur radio,

David

I believe the underlying reason for the split was a fundamental difference of approach by two camps within the BP organisation. One lot wanted to truly preserve history, with genuine artefacts of the time, fully working and so on - that lot have become the National Museum of Computing.

The other lot wanted to get as many feet in the door as possible, with simple displays, lots of video and similar eye-catching effects, and majoring on the social history rather than the technical history. That's the glossy bit of the site most people think of as "Bletchley Park".

Then you add in the usual shouting, and falling out between the leaders of these two camps, and you arrive where we are today. Two groups on the same site staring at each other across an unbridgeable divide.

Which one is right? Neither in my book. They reach entirely different audiences - the "slightly interested" who just want to be entertained, and the "geeks" (like most of us no doubt) who can appreciate the significant achievement in rebuilding something like Colossus. Thankfully most museums manage to pursue both approaches at the same time and offer something to everyone.

Richard

[M0FYA Andy]

I recall a programme a few years ago featuring a vast private computer collection in, I think, the Leeds area. I don't know whether it is publicly accessible.
Does this ring any bells with anyone?

Andy

[Panrock]

Originally Posted by KeithsTV

We visited the Beamish museum last weekend and found a display of Radios, TVs, old computers and video games in the entrance building.

Keith

What is that television on the left of the second illustration, with magnifier? Also pictured here...


Steve

[Sean Williams]

I would rather suggest that the BP/TNMOC "issue" is rather more based in commercial reality

The BP Trust lease the buildings to TNMOC, and for ease of accounting and transparency the two seperate entities have their own admission policy.

Doesn't make it any more frustrating or difficult for visitors though

[dave walsh]

I recall that program Andy [post 75]. It was about collectors in general I think, with a woman presenter, probaly CH4. I will have a copy somewhere I suspect.

Dave

[SiriusHardware]

Originally Posted by Sean Williams

Doesn't make it any more frustrating or difficult for visitors though

Did you mean 'less', perhaps?

I'm beginning to see which of the two parts I'm likely to spend the most time in which is a great pity, as I'm very interested in war history, especially the 'Wizard War', as Churchill put it.

[Ed_Dinning]

The TV at Beamish looks very much like an Argus or similar from one of the PTV build your own designs.
A lot of these sets were donated when it was suggested that there may be a vintage TV shop, run along the grounds of the one in the Black Country museum, when their 1950's town is completed.

Ed