London Transport Museum reopens after £22 Million makeover

[Larry Hayward]

Don't get me wrong I like the London Transport Museum - but what amazes me is how it can cost £22 Million to refurbish the museum. No doubt there was some public money going in to it from the Lotto, GLA or TFL but it must have been drinks all round at the architects / building contractors when they got that contract! What a rip off!

 

Just think what kind of MV museum our members could put together with that money and solve a few members lack of storage too.

[Tony B]

One of the few perks I get is free entry to the musuem. Needed something doing to but 22 million?

[AlienFTM]

The current rebuild at Bovvy is only costing some £15 - 16M (I wonder how many bricks will be mine courtesy of my charitable donations?)

[LeeEnfield]

The current rebuild at Bovvy is only costing some £15 - 16M (I wonder how many bricks will be mine courtesy of my charitable donations?)

 

 

Bovy, I think has shot its self in the foot,.................and I'm not alone in thinking same; OK, museum is going to look different, and I'll accept that ALL museums need to move with the times; where I feel its stepping in a retregrage way is the closing off of the 'outside' resturant. In the old, (pre work) days, 'other half's/mothers, would quite happily watch the outdoor stuff, and then go and get a cuppa, or 3 :whistle: whilst waiting. (I am friend of Tank Museum, by the way.)

From my understanding, from door staff, when renewing membership, the new refreshment area will be inside paying area..............This I feel is NOT a good idea, for reasons already mentioned.

 

 

[Larry Hayward]

Well it seems £16 Million for the Tank museum is another example of how we all get ripped off indirectly as I bet some of the funds are coming from the Lottery.

 

It never ceases to amaze me that after £16 Million or £22 Million or what ever - we still end up with a museum that looks no better than a B&Q DIY store! I be they don't pay £22M.

 

All the expense usually goes on those ever so modern arched steel beams and other unnecessary features. I wouldn't be surprised when the works done to find one or two vehicles suspended from the ceiling just to improve the visual impact!

[Tony B]

Part of London Transports problem (GAWD I'M DEFENDING TfL :sweat:) the building is in a 'conservation' area, Covent Garden, which means 'Approved' contractors= double the price.

[ferret]

[it never ceases to amaze me that after £16 Million or £22 Million or what ever - we still end up with a museum that looks no better than a B&Q DIY store! I be they don't pay £22M.

 

 

 

 

I do a lot of Training for the likes of Marks & Spencer's. £22mil is not out of the norm for a refit. I was in Cheshunt last week and they just spent £27mil!

 

They now talk in millons how they used to talk in thousands.

 

Most of the money spent is probably just waste, consultants, pr etc.

 

Lat year Children in need raised £33 million, lots of people working really hard to raise money. When you put this in the context of one superstore spending this on one shop it is discusting

 

Chris

[Snapper]

As the son of bus conductors with happy memories of the old LT (sports days, kids parties and the smokey snooker room in Tottenham garage) I liked the old museum, but am always disappointed about the reserve collection which is occasionally on view. Why they just don't do the whole thing and have done with it comes down to money and politics. I'm not into buses, and obviously there is more to LT than just routemasters - but it's a shame the museum won't have more than a few representative examples of motors. What I did like about the old place were the people 'in character' , the war time clippie was superb and not far removed from my mother in the 1960s when they still had light grey summer uniforms and stuff like that. I've still got my parents licence badges and stuff and other bits of tat - but like an idiot I threw out the huge coat my dad had which was from the days of open cabs. To get us back on to military lines, I've said to Tim Gosling that I'd like to see a WW1 omnibus fitted out as a troop carrier of the period. But we all know the bus mafia don't do cross-over and these vehicles are rare. I need a lottery win to do it. Does anyone remember the old Transport Museum in Clapham? I am showing my age.

[john fox]

Does anyone remember the old Transport Museum in Clapham? I am showing my age.

 

 

Stevenson's Rocket on rails outside, lots of big engines inside and some you could get inside too in those days before H&S rules.

I remember it just but I hasten to add however I'm not that old :yawn2:

[Snapper]

Yes, I remember the rocket and vaguely remember the trains. It was a rotten place to get to, even with the northern line. My dad went everywhere by bus.

[LeeEnfield]

Lat year Children in need raised £33 million, lots of people working really hard to raise money. Chris

 

 

Aye, well, I think Children in need ought to be every other year;..............Why can't something along the same lines be done for the Service personnel, both serving and vetrans,

 

Andy

[Nick Johns]

The LT Museum opened to the public today so off I went to check it out, .and....er ... oh..where on earth did they spend all that money!!. yes the building is very nice, on 3 levels now, lots of walkways and lifts and stairs but there is now less vehicle exhibits than previous, which comprise, a couple of underground carraiges, a routmaster, 50's single decker, tram, trolleybus, and an early open top bus, upstairs are the steam engine and carraiges and horse drawn stuff, but do we really want to see a new black cab and a modern fiberglass double decker, there is a huge empty space in the centre of the building infiltrated with tables and chairs seems to be the cafe! There is lots of interactive stuff for the kids but considering what is shut away over in Acton they could have done better, perhaps in time they might bring in some more vehicles