National Army Museum in Chelsea, London closing for +2 years

[ARKOUDAKI]

Sadly the National Army Museum in Chelsea, London is set to close at the end of this month for a period of up two (2) years while they renovate the building and collections.

For those of you that have visited the museum (which is still free!) it provides a great history of the British Army. Yes, over the years the telling of that history has suffered from political correctness (the Indian Mutiny was renamed the Indian Rising' and other crap like that) but in general it remains a great museum. The Templar study centre provides a lot of great info and access to the collection. I have used it a lot for my research work on the Sikh and Afghan wars (which hopefully one day I will get written up!!!!!!!!!!). That too will close at the end of this month and the collections will be relocated.

http://www.nam.ac.uk/microsites/future/1228/directors-blog/national-army-museum-closing/

So if you live around London or are coming soon (in the next two weeks) make sure you pay a visit to the NAM.

http://www.nam.ac.uk/

[Sterling Moose]

Excellent timing - there'll be no interest in Britain's involvement in WW1 over the next two years.  What bright spark planned that one 

[janner]

Excellent timing - there'll be no interest in Britain's involvement in WW1 over the next two years.  What bright spark planned that one 

Yeah, why didn't they leave it for a few more years rather than try and upgrade it in time for the Somme anniversary 

Shame on them for just walking away from the commonerations of the start of WW1, Waterloo etc.

Oh wait…

National Army Museum Announces Expansive Plans for First World War Commemorations

The First World War shaped the lives of millions. 100 years on its legacy is still felt by families, communities and nations. The National Army Museum (NAM) will be working with other members of the First World War Centenary Partnership and with Regimental and Corps
museums across the country to realise the government’s plans for a truly national commemoration.
The NAM will mark the centenary of the First World War through an expansive programme of national activities spanning a four-year period of 2014-18. These commemorative activities form a major part of NAM’s Building for the Future project, an ambitious project, which will see a radical transformation of the Museum’s offer for on-site, off-site and online audiences.
To find out more about the Museum’s commemoration plans and how you can get involved, please visit: www.nam.ac.uk/ww1

http://www.nam.ac.uk/sites/default/files/NAM_WW1_Overiew_Briefing_Statement_v2.pdf

 

[Littlearmies]

You would think this was the perfect opportunity to put some of their collections out on loan to museums around the country, wouldn't you? Or send some exhibitions out to Wales, Scotland and some of the major conurbations around the country.

And it seems like really poor timing to me.

[janner]

You would think this was the perfect opportunity to put some of their collections out on loan to museums around the country, wouldn't you? Or send some exhibitions out to Wales, Scotland and some of the major conurbations around the country.

And it seems like really poor timing to me.

Sorry to get in the way of a good whinge, but do you mean the sort of outreach activities described in my link (above)?

'NAM will be drawing on its extraordinary First World War Collection including recruitment and propaganda posters, uniforms, photographs, weapons and letters to tell a world war story with personal and local elements. The local connections will be drawn out with objects from both NAM and the Regimental Museums’ Collections. This exhibition will be hosted at six locations around the country from Wales and the West Country up to the North East of England.'

and,

'During the commemorative period NAM’s Outreach and Learning teams will be busy travelling Britain, offering associated learning programmes and resources to support the commemorative activities and participating in national commemorative events. They will also
be supporting the National Theatre’s War Horse touring production as it travels the country, offering learning sessions to schools.'

and,

'The NAM will also be undertaking a major loan programme, offering out a range of items from its Study Collection to organisations, enabling them to illustrate and bring to life their own stories.'

 

[former user]

never mind, reading is as overrated as political correctness - or shall we call it history reevaluation?.....
because we can't be bothered with using the term the republic of India prefers officially....

[Littlearmies]

Forgive me - but that appears to only cover WWI and doesn't sound like it's being done on a large scale. I'm thinking of Siborne's model and Napoleonic exhibits for the Waterloo anniversary - I would imagine that with the right venue and the co-operation of regimental museums, portrait galleries etc one could put on a cracking exhibition.

[janner]

Looks like it's not been forgotten, but that the initial announcement has focused on the Great War.

'A further programme of outreach activities is planned for 2015 to commemorate the bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo'.
http://www.nam.ac.uk/microsites/future/1228/directors-blog/national-army-museum-closing/

The NAM has to rely on external funding for this sort of project. Recent popular (and hence political) interest in the Great War has freed up long sought after lottery money. So it's not that the NAM has poor timing, but that it is taking advantage of a fleeting opportunity for funding.

[Colonel Tavington]

To be honest I am not looking forward to what they will do with the NAM just look at the IWM , I had my last visit (NAM) there about 3 weeks ago   with my Father, we went there after a very brief visit to the Science Museum, my Father was not impressed with what they have done there either!

I hope they do not ruin the NAM with PC History and have written to them as well on the matter, suggested they visit the USMC Museum in Quantico to see how a military museum should look like!