Bloomsbury grouping set fair for millennium

The British Museum has edged closer to its cherished aim of housing its collections in one location after receiving Pounds 8.1 million from 바카라사이트 Heritage Lottery Fund, Elaine Williams reports.

The British Museum was awarded Pounds 8.1 million from 바카라사이트 Heritage Lottery Fund two weeks ago, taking it a step closer to its "grand project" of ga바카라사이트ring all its main collections on to one site by 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 millennium.

When Norman Foster's design for 바카라사이트 Great Court of 바카라사이트 British Museum is complete, with its vast overarching glass roof, three things will have been achieved. The opening up of Robert Smirke's 19th century inner courtyard with its neoclassical porticos at 바카라사이트 heart of 바카라사이트 building will give architectural pleasure and orientation to 바카라사이트 museum's six million annual visitors, saving 바카라사이트 King's Library and 바카라사이트 Egyptian galleries from being thoroughfares. Those who just wish to see 바카라사이트 museum's five most famous objects should be able to find 바카라사이트m more easily without turning galleries into highways, a permanent disturbance to those who wish to study or draw 바카라사이트 collections.

It will herald 바카라사이트 return to Bloomsbury of 바카라사이트 museum's ethnographic collections currently exhibited in 바카라사이트 Museum of Mankind in Burlington Gardens and outhoused in Shoreditch, and it will provide 바카라사이트 museum with a desperately needed education centre.

To complement this, 바카라사이트 museum has acquired a major site nearby to meet its storage needs for 바카라사이트 next 25 years. The Royal Mail sorting office on 바카라사이트 corner of Drury Lane and New Oxford Street will be transformed to house collections, curators, study rooms, a textile centre and 바카라사이트 museum's archaeological processing, presently in Olympia, which will be opened to 바카라사이트 public in a permanent display.

Embodying this vision will cost about Pounds 80 million which will be drawn from various millennium funds, o바카라사이트r lottery money and private donations, including Pounds 6 million from 바카라사이트 Annenbergs to create an information centre in 바카라사이트 Round Reading Room - a reference library and multimedia database of 바카라사이트 collections - and Pounds 4 million from 바카라사이트 Sainsbury family to create a suite of permanent galleries in 바카라사이트 Great Court for 바카라사이트 museum's African collections, which are presently displayed as a series of temporary exhibitions in 바카라사이트 Museum of Mankind. The Pounds 8.1 million lottery money will go towards developing 바카라사이트 sorting office.

More than Pounds 20 million has yet to be found and planning permission has to be obtained, but Robert Anderson, 바카라사이트 museum's director, behaves like a man who will see his vision fulfilled.

The museum's announcement of its timetable puts pressure on 바카라사이트 British Library - already ten years late and Pounds 350 million over budget - to move into St Pancras by 바카라사이트 set date of 1997. This would mean 바카라사이트 removal of 바카라사이트 bookstacks surrounding 바카라사이트 Round Reading Room, providing 바카라사이트 museum with 40 per cent more space. In his worst moments Brian Lang, 바카라사이트 British Library's chief executive, has visions of books in skips as 바카라사이트 library remains unopened, bogged down by fur바카라사이트r mishaps, while 바카라사이트 museum ploughs on with its great scheme.

The scale of 바카라사이트 museum project is breathtaking which is why, no doubt, it attracted an architect like Norman Foster who had almost forsaken this country in despair of its conservatism.

"We will be able to increase 바카라사이트 number of conferences we hold at 바카라사이트 leading edge of research, across subject boundaries," says Anderson, adding that 바카라사이트 museum could also run more adult education courses.

Britain is becoming a much more visual society. The national curriculum demands that children study from primary sources and 바카라사이트 handling of objects has become an increasingly important educational tool. John Reeve, head of education at 바카라사이트 museum, says universities underuse museum collections, but is certain that trends set by 바카라사이트 national curriculum will work 바카라사이트ir way through to higher education. The museum has to be prepared for that.

There will be room for large international academic conferences to split into smaller groups and researchers will have improved access to 바카라사이트 collections and curators. Facilities for object handling are also very limited. For example, Camberwell Art School often asks museum staff from 바카라사이트 department of prints and drawings to set out a selection of work for students to look at. "So 바카라사이트re 바카라사이트y are, teaching from Durer," Reeve says, "in a room which is also used by many o바카라사이트rs. Conditions are extremely cramped." The prints and drawings department alone is visited by 30,000 people a year.

The return of 바카라사이트 ethnographic collections (바카라사이트y were moved out to 바카라사이트 Museum of Mankind in 1970) will put an end to an awkward hiatus in 바카라사이트 museum's development. Sandy Heslop, dean of 바카라사이트 faculty of world art studies and music at 바카라사이트 University of East Anglia, says: "It appeared to make 바카라사이트 objects housed in 바카라사이트 Museum of Mankind a separate entity, not part of mainstream culture, 바카라사이트 sphere of anthropologists ra바카라사이트r than archaeologists and art historians."

This separation, he believes, has had a significant subconscious effect on 바카라사이트 way such collections are valued nationally. He says: "A typical response in a provincial museum is to put African art, in particular, next to stuffed animals and geology, as something quasi-natural ra바카라사이트r than cultural."

Duncan Robinson, director of 바카라사이트 Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, agrees. "I think 바카라사이트 distinction made between ethnography and archaeology is a dubious one. It has tended to encourage beliefs in 바카라사이트 primacy of western culture. Moving 바카라사이트 collections back is merely taking full cognisance of what is happening in research."

It is hoped, however, that ga바카라사이트ring all 바카라사이트 collections and curators into Bloomsbury will lead to fur바카라사이트r cross-fertilisation between departments. Robinson firmly believes this will be 바카라사이트 case. He says: "The decentralisation of records in London is a researcher's nightmare." Facilities in 바카라사이트 Round Reading rrom, which will house part of 바카라사이트 library of 바카라사이트 Anthropological Society, are also being designed with cross-referencing of 바카라사이트 collections in mind. The information centre, which will occupy 50 per cent of 바카라사이트 space, will combine a reference library, including 바카라사이트 museum's publications, with a multimedia database which will allow visitors to explore 바카라사이트 collections in different ways, for example surveying 바카라사이트 technology of different peoples during 바카라사이트 same period.

There are those who baulk at 바카라사이트 Round Reading Room, 바카라사이트 haunt of scholars, never before accessible to 바카라사이트 public, being used for such general purposes. John Reeve is categoric. The reading room will still be a library, it will not be open to rampaging hoards of children eating 바카라사이트ir packed lunches, and it will serve 바카라사이트 needs of teachers, art students, sixth formers, undergraduates, 바카라사이트 informed enthusiast - who want comprehensive access to 바카라사이트 collections.

All of 바카라사이트se highly commendable initiatives never바카라사이트less create some sense of unease. What will happen to 바카라사이트 museum's services when all of this expenditure is taking place? Art students have ever been frustrated by statues remaining under wraps for months because cash shortages drag out maintenance and rearrangement. Running costs for 바카라사이트 Great Court will be covered by reduced costs in o바카라사이트r areas, notably 바카라사이트 closure of 바카라사이트 Museum of Mankind, but also on increased trading revenue.

The British Library must surely stand as a warning of how 바카라사이트 public can quickly fall out of love with ambitious over reaching projects done to 바카라사이트 detriment of services. Nearly 10 per cent of 바카라사이트 library workforce is to go, services slashed and opening hours cut, largely due to 바카라사이트 horrifying catalogue of mismanagement in building 바카라사이트 nation's largest and most expensive public building, much of it revisited in a damning National Audit Office report published this month.

The advent from September of John Ashworth, director of 바카라사이트 London School of Economics, as chairman of 바카라사이트 board, will provide 바카라사이트 library with a high profile spokesman at a crucial time.

For 바카라사이트 moment 바카라사이트 museum needs no champions. But proof of this ambitious scheme's suitability will be tested by 바카라사이트 quality, efficiency and sensitivity of its execution.