Museum of London Annual Report 2007-2008
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Unwrapping London Annual Review 2008/09 Unwrapping London Annual Review 2008/09 02 — Chairman’s Introduction 04 — Director’s Introduction 06 — Transforming the Museum 10 — Museum of London Archaeology 13 — Exhibitions and Programmes 17 — Learning 20 — Collections Development 23 — London Museums Hub 24 — External Relationships 26 — Donors and Supporters 28 — Publications 32 — Governance Map inner Detail from the Modern Plague of London map published in the mid Map outer 1880s by the National Temperance Reproduced by permission of Movement which marks the location Geographers’ A–Z Map Co Ltd. of every public house in London. Licence No. B4709. ©Crown Many Victorians saw alcohol as the Copyright 2009. All rights reserved. major cause of ill health, poverty Licence number 100017302. and moral degradation. Chairman’s Introduction The closure of the lower galleries We are also deeply grateful for the at the Museum of London did little ongoing support of the Secretary to dampen the enthusiasm of of State for Culture, Media and learners. The number of school visits Sport, the City of London, and the actually increased at both sites, with Greater London Authority. Museum of London Docklands again performing exceptionally well. Jack Along with all the Governors, the Ripper played an important part I would like to congratulate the in attracting groups but there has Director and all of the Museum’s been a dedicated push on learning staff for the success of 2008/09 Michael Cassidy CBE programmes at every level, and I look forward to an exciting Chairman especially for the under-5s. year ahead. This has been a particularly These successes notwithstanding, important year for the Museum 2008/09 has been a turbulent year of London, as it continues to work economically. Museum of London towards a major transformation. Archaeology (MOLA) has been particularly exposed to the downturn The architectural work on the new of the commercial property sector. Galleries of Modern London was However, turnover remained healthy completed early in 2009 and at £8.6m, only slightly below the Museum staff have been focusing previous year. on preparing displays for these impressive new spaces. Fundraising From 6 April 2008, the governance for this major project has also made of the Museum of London has steady progress, nearing our changed with the Greater London £20.5m target. Authority (GLA) and the City of London Corporation as joint With all this work going on, visitor co-sponsors. The GLA took over numbers were expected to suffer responsibilities previously held by but we are delighted to have been the Department for Culture Media proved wrong. At the Museum of and Sport (DCMS), including funding London, visitor numbers reached and the appointment of members 268,469 – only 4% below target to the Board of Governors of the – while the Museum of London Museum. This change helps the Docklands recorded its best year Museum be more tuned into London ever, attracting 158,939 visits. This itself, strengthening our links with was 32% above target and is a great tourism and preparation for the 2012 achievement. One of the reasons Olympic Games. for the success of the Museum of London Docklands this year was I would like to thank all the the Jack the Ripper exhibition. Governors for their support to the The first major temporary exhibition Board and its committees. I would to be held at this site, it received particularly like to acknowledge the a great deal of positive publicity contribution of Denise Jones, Tom and exceeded its visitor Jackson and Patrick Roney who all targets significantly. retired from the Board, and to welcome Councillor Maurice Groves. 02 Director’s Introduction McIntyre who returned to Australia the current 115, 000 learners after five years as Director of Public comprising of families, community Programmes. His contribution to the and school groups with about ongoing development of our 65,000 of this number coming from museum is deeply appreciated. schools. We will be able to extend My thanks to all the directors: these facilities and programmes to Francesca Mahoney, Taryn Nixon, universities, other museums as well Cathy Ross, David Spence and Kate as educators and local authorities. Starling for their valuable support At the heart of the design of this 21st and commitment. century state-the-art learning facility Professor Jack Lohman are the principles of flexibility Director I am equally grateful for the support (attracting and catering for the most of our Chairman, Michael Cassidy comprehensive and inclusive range The year under review was one CBE, and the Board of Governors for of audiences) and connectivity during which everyone involved in their guidance and advice. (imaginative linking of audience to the life of the Museum of London the collections to inspire learning faced the challenge of continuing The changes at the Museum of and appreciation). to maintain standards of excellence London have not only been that of in service to the public while the extensive infrastructural December saw the installation of the confronted by the most extensive redevelopment affected at the lower John de Vaere neo-classical sculpture physical transformation process galleries. An equally significant depicting destitute women and in the Museum’s history. transformation has been that of the children seeking help from a heroic Museum’s identity. The Museum of figure of a Roman centurion as the It is no small accomplishment that, London Group has rebranded itself. first object in the redeveloped in the cities of London and Beijing. affected the area, a subject which despite the fact that virtually half We have a new logo befitting a gallery area. The work, originally Historic objects from the 1948 has global significance. More than a of the Museum precinct was not museum tasked with telling the story situated at the office of Pelican Life London Olympics were presented at thousand East Londoners have accessible to the public during this of a world city continuously in the Insurance, provides a pertinent London House in Beijing during this attended the Museum’s Discover time, visitor numbers continued making. The three venues which comment on the insecure state of exchange and we were honoured to Programme at the site in 2008. to grow. I am proud to be part of comprise the group, namely, the global financial system. This participate in a UNESCO conference a dedicated and resilient team who Museum of London, Museum of together with other exhibitions such on transnational collaboration at Space does not allow for a full and continue to display high standards London Docklands and Museum of as the ‘London, Sugar and Slavery’ Shanghai’s Fudan University. proper recording of activities in this of professionalism and the best of London Archaeology plait the gallery at Museum of London brief personal review of a most the spirit of London. It is a spirit ongoing narrative of London and Docklands, the ‘Homeless in London’ The 2012 London Olympics also exciting and productive period in which is revealed not only in their Londoners in ways that reflects the and ‘Shutting up Shop’ exhibitions provided Museum of London the life of the Museum of London. telling of the stories of London past energy and diversity of our activities (among others), continue to link the Archaeology with an opportunity to The uncovering of Shakespeare’s but also in their tenacity as and yet presents a single mission, past to the present global realities undertake the most extensive first theatre in Shoreditch and the Londoners who today continue common values and shared passion. of human trafficking, poverty and archaeological dig in its history. Over opportunity this creates for the to tell the story of this great city’s economic uncertainty. The Museum 100 trenches have been dug and consolidation of our knowledge present and future. The architectural work for the new of London Docklands was also the investigated. Recorded among the of the Shakespearean era and of galleries undertaken in the period venue for the very popular and findings to date are cobbled streets Elizabethan Playhouses must also be An increasing number of members under review has brought us closer successful Jack the Ripper exhibition. dating back 150 years, late Bronze numbered among the many exciting of staff participated in the staff to the realisation of the Clore Age to Middle Iron Age settlements moments of this period. Therein development programme. We Learning Centre, the Weston Theatre In anticipation of the 2012 London as well as numerous findings from may be connection: It is a privilege congratulate the ten staff members and the Galleries of Modern London. Olympics, the 2008 Beijing Roman and late Middle Age periods. to be part of an unfolding drama who successfully completed the The Clore Learning Centre will Olympics provided us with the Excavations on the site of the which is the story of London and diploma in management and the comprise of two large flexible opportunity to assist the Beijing Olympic Park have also helped part of a team of which has the twelve who completed the certificate activity spaces - a seminar room and Municipality with an exhibition in the archaeologists develop an responsibility and privilege to tell in management. During this period, an e-learning studio as well as a Confucius Temple in Beijing understanding of, among other this story as it unfolds. we said farewell to Dr Darryl theatre and all of these will cater for depicting the story of photography things, how climate change has 04 05 Transforming the Museum The Museum of London is The transformed Museum of London undergoing a complete will feature: transformation. In a process which £ started in 2002, we are reinventing — The Galleries of Modern London, 205m ourselves for a new century.