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Hi Douglass

I must say that I rather enjoyed my visits to the Greenwich Museum and the 
National Maritime Museum down the hill.

Harrison's chronometers were fascinating to watch.  I drove my wife absolutely 
bonkers.  Contrary to Mr. Betts' opinion, I spent the better part of 2 hours 
staring at the mechanisms, on each of my two visits to that room.  Would have 
spent more time there but my wife mutinied.

I found the NMM and the displays of navigational equipment, like the repeating 
reflecting circles on the second floor, to be wonderful.  I would easily do 
that again.

I suppose I have pity on the poor curators.  Catering to the whims of the vast 
majority of un-educated tourists, whilst disappointing the thirst of the 
knowledgable.

Best Regards
Brad




________________________________________
From: navlist@fer3.com [navlist@fer3.com] On Behalf Of 
douglas.denny@btopenworld.com [douglas.denny@btopenworld.com]
Sent: Tuesday, September 15, 2009 3:17 PM
To: NavList@fer3.com
Subject: [NavList 9752] Re: GPS as a time authority

Exactly correct. I was informed of that too.
It most likely was the same particular Caesium standard - now owned by the 
Greenwhich Observatory Museum, and was on display a few years ago in the 
'Time Room'  along with Harrson's clocks.

Teddington had (if I remember correctly) a couple of those Hewelet Packard 
"portable" atomic clocks. I am pleased (and give myself a pat on the back) 
that it was myself that suggested that particular Caesium Clock should be 
given to the Greeenwich Observatory museum, as the Teddington time department 
was going to throw them out, as they were obsolete because of the GPS 
comparison method.

The Greewich museum also had on display an example of PIM - Precision 
Indication of the Meridian on it's properly designed tripod.
----------

Sad to say, the Greenwich Museum is now but a shadow of it's former glory. 
More a kiddies play room now, with only a very few artefacts on display and 
practically no explanations of any substance about either time measurement or 
navigation.  The main atttraction still being of course the Harrison 
chronometers - the only reason for going into the museum now in my opinion, - 
Oh, I should also include - experiencing the Octagon room where Neville 
Maskelyne worked in the old original part of the Observatory.

The 'Time room' in the basement which you had to go down the helical staircase 
to get to, was literally stuffed full of chronometers and clocks of all 
descriptions, including displays of all of different stages of development of 
the chronometer showing the different methods of compensation. A wonderful 
magical place.  Mostly all working too, ticking away merrily they seemed to 
be alive. A wonderful experience which I well remember the first time I went 
into that room.  Now that's all gone and there is nothing other than 
Harrison's clocks and one or perhaps two chronometers only upstairs.  A 
terrible shame. And a cheek to call it a museum of time and navigation as it 
has been robbed of everything that made it so.

And why? .... I complained to Johnathan Betts the curator and was told that is 
"museum policy" (!?)  They have done surveys (!!??) and found the maximum 
time anyone stays in the room as the walk through is one or two minutes, and 
on that basis they believe it is:  "appropriate to only display a very few 
items so they have chance to absorb something".

How daft is that? .... you couldn't make it up. I don't suppose it occurs to 
them that only having a few items to see means people will only spend a few 
seconds glancing around, then leave the room because there is nothing to 
see!!
The country has gone mad.

The Greenwich Museum and Science Museum in Kensington (for they are just as 
bad with the same daft "museum policy") should give everything they have 
stored in the vast warehouses in Wiltshire to the Smithsonian Museum in the 
USA where it would be revered and put on display,  instead of gathering dust 
in some dark corner of a government warehouse here.  Britain has never 
appreciated it's wonderful heritage and rich history in the same way as the 
Americans do.

Douglas Denny.
Chichester. England.



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