A National Caving Museum ? .

[Robert Scott]

In Montjaque (Andulucia, Spain) there is an "interpretation" centre of speleology. Open on Friday evening, Saturday & Sunday.
When I visited it, it wasn't thronged with folk. I suspect that it is heavily funded by EU grants. (Cue a Mick Norton rant link on the inequities of Brussels throwing our cash around)

 

[Rachel]

Has anyone been to the mining museum in Keswick? It's absolutely crap, with the 'exhibition' consisting mainly of text pasted onto the walls.

However, it's been going for a while so is obviously either self financing/in receipt of hefty grants/someone's expensive hobby. Either way, the owners might have advice to offer about the practicalities and pitfalls of setting up and running that type of thing.

 

[shotlighter]

Has anyone been to the mining museum in Keswick? It's absolutely crap, with the 'exhibition' consisting mainly of text pasted onto the walls.

However, it's been going for a while so is obviously either self financing/in receipt of hefty grants/someone's expensive hobby. Either way, the owners might have advice to offer about the practicalities and pitfalls of setting up and running that type of thing.

I actualy thought it was rather good. Great selection of mining artifacts, including stuff I'd not seen in the flesh before. Maybe it's a matter of what you're interests are? Also has a very good selection of mining related books for sale.
The Keswick Museum (just round the corner) also has a good mineral collection - & it's free!

 

[Armchair]

Interesting debate. It's worth remembering that many of the finest historical and cultural artifacts anywhere owe their existence to being fortunately located in private collections - museums don't always mean best. Sufficient cash or dedication to make a permanent storage facility a reality is unlikely to be forthcoming now or in the future in the UK, but there is a lot of sense in making people aware of what they have and the importance of, at the very least, not destroying it. The idea of a 'virtual repository', as several folk have suggested, then becomes a very worthwhile option. A database of what exists and what might already be lost to posterity would be a good start. Libraries, meanwhile, can probably look after themselves. Just a thought.

 

[cap n chris]

A database of what exists and what might already be lost to posterity would be a good start.

Not quite sure how you work out what doesn't exist any more and what still does; but, heyho!, what's needed is probably someone with a comfy chair and a computer..... anyone?,.... anyone?.....

 

[Armchair]

I meant what people feel sure existed - like, say, 12" carbide reflectors - but that no-one can find anymore. Word of mouth must be caving's best historical resource. Neither comfy chair nor computer here, unfortunately.

 

[Peter Burgess]

I meant what people feel sure existed - like, say, 12" carbide reflectors - but that no-one can find anymore. Word of mouth must be caving's best historical resource. Neither comfy chair nor computer here, unfortunately.

I thought they all ended up as satellite dishes.

 

[Armchair]

One of life's great mysteries - solved at last!

 

[Peter Burgess]

Virtual museums are not such a bad idea. Some mining artefacts from Surrey are looked after by a local history Society in their museum. I was personally involved in their cataloguing etc many years ago, with two other WCMS members. Towards the end of my time doing this, realising I was going to have far less time to devote to this in the near future, I systematically drew scale drawings of most of the items, and filed them away. Later, armed with a scanner, I scanned all the drawings and filed them away on CD-ROM etc. Now, whenever I need to refer to these items for research, or just for illustration purposes in publications, I have convenient access to them. Ultimately, I would like to tidy up the scanned images, add nice captions and notes, and place them online. And I haven't actually set eyes on any of these artefacts now for well over 10 years.

 

[Stupot]

the wells museam has s caving section mabye some one should talk to them? we when to see it it has the origional sump one stuff

 

[Peter Burgess]

"Stupot" - see this item http://ukcaving.com/board/index.php/topic,3543.0.html