mandragora (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
mandragora) wrote2002-08-16 07:16 pm
mandragora) wrote2002-08-16 07:16 pm
On tourism and the British Museum
It's too bleedin' hot! That's the trouble with us Brits, we're never happy weatherwise. One minute we're whinging about the rain and then when we actually do get some good weather, we complain about the heat. Never satisfied.
OTOH, it is unusually humid at present and the tube. Is. Hell. Unbelievably awful. So, I've taken to riding the buses around Central London. Luckily, it being August there's less traffic around than usual and most of the time the buses actually move! Less luckily, it being August it's also prime tourist season and the buses are packed full of often clueless tourists, asking whether we're anywhere near St Paul's yet. Cue silent gesticulating towards the looming domed monolith to the right.
Tourists are, of course, A Good Thing, bringing lots of revenue to the City, and I also recognise that when I'm doing the tourist thing in a strange place I am equally at sea. Although I do wish that whoever writes the London guidebooks would emphasise that it is the Done Thing to stand on the right when riding the escalators in the tube. Sigh.
This year, there are far less Americans around than normal, which is only to be expected bearing in mind that Americans in general are not travelling in the aftermath of September 11 as much as before. But the Japanese are back again in force.
Immediately after September 11 there was less tourism worldwide in general, I think, but now tourism amongst most nationalities has got back to pre-September 11 levels, at least judging from tourist levels in The Smoke at present. So, many, many Japanese who are usually polite and unassuming and wait their turn in the bus queue - the perfect visitors, really. Also, there are a lot of Italians in London this year, more so than normal, I think, although I have no idea why. The great thing about the Italians are that they tend to be very stylishly dressed, so give me something pretty to look at.
Yesterday, I popped into the British Museum on my way from the West End to the City. I have never seen it so busy. Normally, it's a haven of quiet contemplation, with the exception of the Egyptian mummies, of course, which is always a scrummage. Not so yesterday; it was heaving. I decided to check out the Greek and Roman section, as I hadn't been to that part for a while and wanted to see if anything new of particular interest had been put on display.
That's the thing about the British Museum, they own an obscene amount of stuff that rarely, if at all, gets put in display because there's simply no room to put it all. On the plus side, it is all at least pretty well catalogued and preserved, unlike, say, the Egyptian Museum in Cairo which has an incredible multitude of riches, much of which languishes in total obscurity. The Egyptian Museum needs more funding, but isn't likely to receive it, sadly.
I digress. I decided to go into the Parthenon Marbles room, as it's normally hushed and peaceful and cool in there. Sadly not yesterday. The throngs were well and truly ensconced and there were at least 5 guided tours going on in there, a couple in Japanese, one in Italian and one German. Also one in English, reflecting the fact that not many Brits seem to opt for guided tours. I didn't stay long, as I've seen the Parthenon Marbles many a time and it was too hot and busy in there for me. I did reflect, as I walked out, on the chances of Greece ever getting back the Parthenon Marbles from the British Museum. Came to the conclusion that it's pretty much zero.
I can see the force of Greece's argument, of course. The Marbles were made by Greeks and belong back up on the Parthenon. Trouble is, with the amount of pollution in Athens at present there's no way that they could be put up, as the atmosphere would destroy then within a few decades. So, they'd have to be put into a climate controlled room in a museum, exactly like they're in at present in the British Museum. But, all other things being equal, they belong in Greece.
Trouble is, Lord Elgin purchased them legitimately (or at least that's the British story, allegedly there is some doubt as to Lord Elgin's veracity in this respect). What does seem to be undoubted is that they were pretty much lying around when he took them and if he hadn't there is a possibility that they wouldn't have survived, especially as the Turks had been using the Parthenon for target practice before Lord Elgin came along.
From the British Museum's POV, the Parthenon Marbles were legitimately bought and paid for and if they had to give back all artifacts from other cultures which have similarly been bought (leaving aside the stuff that was nicked from other cultures, of which I suspect that there may be rather a lot, taken at the height of the Empire etc), they would lose a tremendous portion of the treasures the Museum owns. Thus adversely impacting on its status as one of the great museums etc. They also make the point that the British Museum gets more visitors a year than Athens does and that the Museum's possession of the Parthenon Marbles thus affords more people the opportunity to see them than if they were in a museum in Athens.
So far as the British Museum is concerned, they're gonna hang onto them until ordered by the British Government not to. And the Government interfering in the affairs of a museum like that would set a dangerous precedent. Conclusion: Greece, don't hold your breath, despite how unfair it all seems.
OTOH, it is unusually humid at present and the tube. Is. Hell. Unbelievably awful. So, I've taken to riding the buses around Central London. Luckily, it being August there's less traffic around than usual and most of the time the buses actually move! Less luckily, it being August it's also prime tourist season and the buses are packed full of often clueless tourists, asking whether we're anywhere near St Paul's yet. Cue silent gesticulating towards the looming domed monolith to the right.
Tourists are, of course, A Good Thing, bringing lots of revenue to the City, and I also recognise that when I'm doing the tourist thing in a strange place I am equally at sea. Although I do wish that whoever writes the London guidebooks would emphasise that it is the Done Thing to stand on the right when riding the escalators in the tube. Sigh.
This year, there are far less Americans around than normal, which is only to be expected bearing in mind that Americans in general are not travelling in the aftermath of September 11 as much as before. But the Japanese are back again in force.
Immediately after September 11 there was less tourism worldwide in general, I think, but now tourism amongst most nationalities has got back to pre-September 11 levels, at least judging from tourist levels in The Smoke at present. So, many, many Japanese who are usually polite and unassuming and wait their turn in the bus queue - the perfect visitors, really. Also, there are a lot of Italians in London this year, more so than normal, I think, although I have no idea why. The great thing about the Italians are that they tend to be very stylishly dressed, so give me something pretty to look at.
Yesterday, I popped into the British Museum on my way from the West End to the City. I have never seen it so busy. Normally, it's a haven of quiet contemplation, with the exception of the Egyptian mummies, of course, which is always a scrummage. Not so yesterday; it was heaving. I decided to check out the Greek and Roman section, as I hadn't been to that part for a while and wanted to see if anything new of particular interest had been put on display.
That's the thing about the British Museum, they own an obscene amount of stuff that rarely, if at all, gets put in display because there's simply no room to put it all. On the plus side, it is all at least pretty well catalogued and preserved, unlike, say, the Egyptian Museum in Cairo which has an incredible multitude of riches, much of which languishes in total obscurity. The Egyptian Museum needs more funding, but isn't likely to receive it, sadly.
I digress. I decided to go into the Parthenon Marbles room, as it's normally hushed and peaceful and cool in there. Sadly not yesterday. The throngs were well and truly ensconced and there were at least 5 guided tours going on in there, a couple in Japanese, one in Italian and one German. Also one in English, reflecting the fact that not many Brits seem to opt for guided tours. I didn't stay long, as I've seen the Parthenon Marbles many a time and it was too hot and busy in there for me. I did reflect, as I walked out, on the chances of Greece ever getting back the Parthenon Marbles from the British Museum. Came to the conclusion that it's pretty much zero.
I can see the force of Greece's argument, of course. The Marbles were made by Greeks and belong back up on the Parthenon. Trouble is, with the amount of pollution in Athens at present there's no way that they could be put up, as the atmosphere would destroy then within a few decades. So, they'd have to be put into a climate controlled room in a museum, exactly like they're in at present in the British Museum. But, all other things being equal, they belong in Greece.
Trouble is, Lord Elgin purchased them legitimately (or at least that's the British story, allegedly there is some doubt as to Lord Elgin's veracity in this respect). What does seem to be undoubted is that they were pretty much lying around when he took them and if he hadn't there is a possibility that they wouldn't have survived, especially as the Turks had been using the Parthenon for target practice before Lord Elgin came along.
From the British Museum's POV, the Parthenon Marbles were legitimately bought and paid for and if they had to give back all artifacts from other cultures which have similarly been bought (leaving aside the stuff that was nicked from other cultures, of which I suspect that there may be rather a lot, taken at the height of the Empire etc), they would lose a tremendous portion of the treasures the Museum owns. Thus adversely impacting on its status as one of the great museums etc. They also make the point that the British Museum gets more visitors a year than Athens does and that the Museum's possession of the Parthenon Marbles thus affords more people the opportunity to see them than if they were in a museum in Athens.
So far as the British Museum is concerned, they're gonna hang onto them until ordered by the British Government not to. And the Government interfering in the affairs of a museum like that would set a dangerous precedent. Conclusion: Greece, don't hold your breath, despite how unfair it all seems.
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Re:
Re the number of tourists in London being down, the mind boggles what it's normally like in the British Museum in August! But I do get the impression that Brits, at least, are travelling as much now as pre September 11, at least so far as going on holiday is concerned. However, it's entirely possible that other nationalities aren't. Don't suppose you've got any insights on this?
BTW, is your email working at present or is it down again?