Museum of Childhood, Bethnal Green
London has developed a world famous reputation for the quality of its museums; and just as importantly for the fact that they are free. In fact throughout the UK you’ll find that most of the state-managed museums and galleries offer free admission to their visitors. This is a huge benefit to visitors who come to London to enjoy the diversity found in these fabulous places. But can this generous policy persist now that every penny of public expenditure is to be scrutinised?
On the face of it, museums are a huge drain on public resources. They cost huge amounts of money to maintain; there’s building costs, staff costs, insurance and security to consider. Then there is the need to continually update and keep fresh the content, with temporary exhibitions and new collections, and the marketing that goes with it. On top of that there is an extra price to pay for the surge in visitor numbers that a free-for-all policy produces. When London’s museums abolished admission charges in 2001 they saw an 83% increase in visitors, according to this Independent article. This has a knock-on cost in terms of more staff required to manage the museum and often more space to accommodate the extra numbers.
So why should the state (and by extension the British taxpayer) fund the cost of our national collections? For a start, there is a solid business case for this policy. There are many extra visitors coming to London (or Manchester, Leeds and other cities) as a result. These visitors will need to eat, sleep and spend valuable leisure time in these cities while visiting the attractions. The resulting collateral money spent goes a long way to supporting many small businesses who benefit from the tourist pounds, and they in turn pay taxes back into the public pot.
But there’s a greater benefit that cannot be recorded on a balance sheet. By allowing parents to take their children to see these incredible places they are able to learn in a way that a classroom or a computer can never quite manage. To experience the many wonders on offer in London’s diverse array of museums and galleries provides chidren with a unique but vitally important element of our education.
Who would deny them the chance to see the animals in the Natural History Museum, to feel a simulated earthquake in the Science Museum or to see some of the famous works of art in the city’s galleries? What is the greater cost for our society: to allow access for all to these treasures, or to restrict it to those who have the disposable income to be able to afford to go?
Whatever else is cut in this period of slashing and burning of public money, I hope that the current government thinks very carefully before embarking on a path they threatened to go down while in opposition. There are many savings that should come first before the selective denial of access to the great museums of our country.
See a related article 10 Free London Museums that I’ve written on the Discount London blog.
Great article! Absolutely agree on every point as we travel at least once a year to enjoy London museums with kids!
I completely agree with your thoughts!
Totally agree. Not only because we are (not) frequent (enough) users of free British Museums, but because the economic benefit of people coming to use them is huge, even if it is still not exploited enough (so many people don’t seem to realise how many of the best attractions in London are free!)
One added advantage – if you are not paying, you slow down. Rather than ‘trying to get your money’s worth’ and rushing through to see everything, you are happy to linger. I have gone to the V&A with my son and just looked at one or two galleries, because that is what interested us, but it was probably much more rewarding to concentrate on a few things and ‘really see them than rush through ticking off the ‘must sees’ and missing the details. We have been to the British Museum many times, and first visited our regular favourites and then happily detoured to find something new and see it in detail – something we probably wouldn’t do if we were paying a fee each time.
Thanks to all for the comments. Living near London, we find the same as you Natalia, that it’s possible to take it easy and visit places slowly and in depth, knowing that we can return again to see more. The British Museum is a great example of this, and the same applied to the Natural History and V&A. Happy to see no mention of museum charges in these early spending cuts announcements; will watch the next few months with interest.