Museums

Here is a short list of some local to me, well worth a ride out (motorcycling term, that's what I use to move about) to visit.

Maidenhead Heritage Centre, http://maidenheadheritage.org.uk/ Small, free and has a paid for section devoted to the ATA, "Granny flew Spitfires".

River and Rowing, Henley http://www.rrm.co.uk/ A bit costly at £11 this does give a years pass. Wonderful "Tales of the Riverbank" walk through introduction (great for kids of any age!) Two mainly fixed galleries (and an extension) and a changing one.

Museum of Rural Life, Reading https://www.reading.ac.uk/TheMERL supurb and free. The university has other museums on campus too, open during the week in term time.

Reading Museum http://www.readingmuseum.org.uk/ with free motorcycle parking just round the corner.

Wycombe Museum https://www.wycombe.gov.uk/pages/Spo...be-Museum.aspx another small one, free with parking and a cafe, proper coffee and proper cake in huge slices.

Berkshire Aircraft Museum http://museumofberkshireaviation.co.uk/ Jam packed with old aircraft and history of Miles (aircraft). A tad scruffy, it is a working restoration project all the time, about three quid to get in. Don't get chatting with one of the incumbents, you will be there for hours!

This is an experiment for my proposed museums section https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...d.php?t=134015 , more to follow...

[JoshWard]

I'll plug the ones I work at...

Museum of East Anglian Life, Stowmarket, Suffolk. 76 acres with over twenty historic buildings. Plenty of engineering, domestic and working life exhibitions. Includes a 70s ITT television, a Westminster battery portable, a Vidor television and a Beethoven radiogram
http://www.eastanglianlife.org.uk/home.html

Melford Hall, near Sudbury, Suffolk. Historic country house, Tudor outside, inside is anything but. You'll have to visit to get the full story. An accredited museum but feels more like a family home. Includes an Orion AR612 in the overflow tearoom which I donated, a Roberts R25 and a Bush TR82C. Free entry for NT members
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/melford-hall

Lavenham Guildhall, near Sudbury, Suffolk. One of the finest timber framed buildings in the country, construction started 1529 by a religious guild. Has been the centre of the village ever since. Star exhibit is a 1940s Regentone. Again free entry for NT members
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/lavenham-guildhall

[60 oldjohn]

I would like to remind forum members of my "radio and more" private museum. We are 10miles east from the Hull Ferry Terminals. It is upstairs and limited to a maximum of two people, I do not charge. If anyone would like to know more please Pm me.

John.

[JoshWard]

There is also a radio museum here in Suffolk, also near Sudbury
https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...d.php?t=110668

Ashamed to say I haven't been yet!

And south of me...

FAST http://www.airsciences.org.uk/ free and parking, an recently an interesting radio display.

Army Medical Museum https://museumofmilitarymedicine.org.uk/ Inside an army camp, 100 yard walk from parking (but I am sure they will let drive up to it if walking is a problem). Free.

Aldershot military Museum https://hampshireculturaltrust.org.u...ilitary-museum A few quid to get in, (three I think), smallish, a look at military life in Aldershot through the ages.

Royal Logistics Museum http://www.royallogisticcorps.co.uk/heritage/museum/ Free, well presented look at what keeps the army fed with food and bullets.

And to the north...

Tring Natural History http://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit/tring.html Free, overwhelming collection of stuffed animals, mice to mamoths (no actual mamoth, you get the idea). You have to like kids, local schools love days out there.

Bletchley Park http://www.bletchleypark.org.uk/ Quite expensive at £15 approx, years pass though (you will need it, spend a few days in a local B&B). The TNMOC is in the same site but separate (politics!) http://www.tnmoc.org/about-us?gclid=...FYGw7Qodgr0OFg

Milton Keynes Museum http://www.miltonkeynesmuseum.org.uk/ Rather good, six quid and a years pass, cafe run by lovely ladies proper cake too! The Telecoms museum (wired earth) is there, working exchanges etc..

As you all may have gathered I like museums, especially the smaller ones. I make it a mission upon the weekend to visit at least one and have yet to be disappointed. One way I find them is by using Google Earth and turning off everything except the museum tick box.

[dseymo1]

Then there's the Land of Lost Content in Craven Arms, Shropshire - a large and eccentric collection of stuff from the past century or so. Some interesting old technology on display, including radio, TV, calculators and such. Characterised by 'We used to have one of those".

[TonyDuell]

Originally Posted by dseymo1

Then there's the Land of Lost Content in Craven Arms, Shropshire - a large and eccentric collection of stuff from the past century or so. Some interesting old technology on display, including radio, TV, calculators and such. Characterised by 'We used to have one of those".

Or in my case (and I suspect a lot of people here), 'I was using one of those this morning'

Getting back on-thread, might I recomend the Amberly Chalk Pits Museum (I think now the Amberley Museum and Heritage Centre) :

http://www.amberleymuseum.co.uk/

You can easily spend several days trying to see everything...

On a much smaller scale, some public libraries have a display of artefacts relating to the area. Bromley central library does, including a couple of things relating to Muirhead. Not woth a special trip, but if you are in the area it's worth popping into the library to see if there's anything.

[Paul Stenning]

I have made this thread "sticky" so it doesn't get lost.

[dglcomp]

There is the Royal Signals Museum in Blandford http://www.royalsignalsmuseum.co.uk/ and the TV, radio and toy museum in Montacute near Yeovil http://www.montacutemuseum.co.uk/.

Also further north is the Radio museum in Watchet formerly at the Washford AM transmitter site/Tropiquaria http://www.theradiomuseum.com/

On a much smaller scale, some public libraries have a display of artefacts relating to the area

Slough museum is now a number of 'pods' in the "Curve" this is now the library and has points for hooking up ones laptop etc. very popular. You might think that Slough is the pit of (insert word) but this building is supurb, worth having a look at. Caution, one of the lifts has doors on two sides, I spent what seemed ages waiting for the door to open before I realised the one behind me had opened.

And thank you Paul for making this sticky.

[Tyso_Bl]

The museum of Internal fire, well worth a detour in to West Wales

http://www.internalfire.com/

[Paul Stenning]

I don't think anyone has mentioned the The British Vintage Wireless and Television Museum in West Dulwich, London yet. http://www.bvwtm.org.uk/

[HamishBoxer]

That is terrible Paul! Cannot miss that.

[Brased]

We should not forget the Science Museum in South Kensington and especially the new Information Age gallery.

http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/visi...nformation_age

Edward

[GMB]

RAF Henlow has excellent displays (some working) of RAF aircraft radios etc.
http://www.rafsignalsmuseum.org.uk/

The Pitstone Green Museum of Rural Life has a display of aircraft radios etc. and a Lancaster cockpit mock-up.
http://www.pitstonemuseum.co.uk/

[Phil G4SPZ]

A shameless 'plug' for the Black Country Living Museum, in particular the 1939 wireless shop Gripton's Radio Stores with its collection of over fifty pre-war radio sets in showroom condition and an operational workshop to the rear. Unique, I understand, in that visitors can actually watch as restoration work progresses on pre-war vintage sets, using authentic period tools and test gear, whilst listening to pre-war 78s reproduced on our 1936 HMV gram deck. The workshop is manned most Wednesdays (by me) and Thursdays (by my colleague Len). Valves tested, 3d each, and accumulators charged for 6d while-you-wait! But please be patient...

[beamcurrent]

The virtual Museum of the Broadcast Television Camera

http://www.tvcameramuseum.org

The objective of this site is to record and document the history, technology and development of broadcast television cameras. The images and data within are drawn from the cameras and photographs in my collection and the collections of other supporters of the museum. It is hoped that this site will become a valuable reference source.

The museum is a long way from finished and I will be adding new cameras and information as and when I can, I intend to work on European and American television cameras first. There are many pages that are incomplete with gaps and omissions.

Like most museums, were their collections are mostly "in storage", my collection which supports the museum is entirely "in storage" and the museum is a virtual one that exists in cyber space. However this does have advantages:-

It means that I am, or will be, able to display everything.

Admission is Free! The Museum is open 24/7

The collection is preserved in good condition for the future

The camera pictured is an EMI 201 broadcast vidicon camera c. 1960


Another shameless plug! Regards Brian

[Radio Wrangler]

For those who stumble into a spatial wormhole and wind up in the far Northern wastelands, there is The Museum of Communications. The Harry Matthews collection from Edinburgh University now housed in its own premises on the high street, Burrntisland, Fife. It's near a railway station and there are buses to/from Edinburgh.

There is an exhibition space that gets changed annually, but if you sound at all interested you'll get shown through all the storage areas. Entertainment radio, marine, military and amateur, TV, tape recorders etc etc... a stash of tons of journals.

It's worth finding a wormhole.

David

[The Philpott]

If you are ever in the area:

Museum of Power, Langford,
Combined Military Museum, Fullbridge
Both near Maldon, Essex. Recommended.

[Phil G4SPZ]

Seaford Museum has an excellent radio and electrical display. Only open two hours a week, but worth a visit:

http://www.seafordmuseum.co.uk

Also Orkney Wireless Museum, a bit remote but very good:

http://www.orkneywirelessmuseum.org.uk

Finally, the Telegraph Museum in Porthcurno:

http://telegraphmuseum.org

I've visited all three and can highly recommend them.