Streamed earlier this evening, The Agincourt diorama : Building a battlefield with Perry Miniatures
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6V2IFsI5f4
Les,
That looks great, thanks. I now just need to find an hour and a half to watch it all...
Simon
The Royal Armouries had a strong wargaming and reenactment presence amongst the staff when I worked there. Members of the Medieval Society, English Civil War Society not to mention half a dozen regular wargamers. Many have now moved on or retired but they forged strong links with the community which thrives today. The physical interpretation that takes place both in the galleries and in the showground and regular holding of 'Fiasco' in Leeds of course endure...
I remember attending the Royal Armouries in Leeds when the Fiasco war-games show was held there. I seem to remember it was a great venue for the show but sadly it was moved away from there. Not sure why.
John
Simples, John. Money. The RA was one of the pilot schemes of the public/private sector finance initiatives of the Govt at the time. The management who run the building for a return are not the RA. The Museum are effectively tenants. As finances became tougher the owners of the 'attraction' increasingly called the shots and tanked less lucrative fixtures and booked money-making exhibitions etc., some of whom bore little or no relation to the Museum next door. Ironic because that was the position they were/are in at the Tower, with Historic Royal Palaces calling the shots on the fabric and the RA in the Tower an attraction within it, and greater autonomy was one of the chief reasons cited for the expansion/move.
You could argue the same reason for the closure of 'Firepower' and the problems they are having with the establishment of a new home at Larkhill.
It would be nice to see the museum at Larkhill when/if it gets done.
I have personally found some museums to be less interesting as they drop exhibits and put in more "interpretation' panels.
I can see a very good argument for what they are doing but I (me me me...) like to see as many "things" as possible.
I would have like to have visited the Russian tank museum https://patriotp.ru in my lifetime.
My favourite museums are Bovington and the US Smithsonian flight museum near Washington https://airandspace.si.edu/udvar-hazy-center
martin :)
I agree about Larkhill, Martin.
I was invited to speak for the RA historical trust at Woolwich when they were in the early stages of planning 'Firepower'. They had a fab fund raising drive from RA members past and present - everyone giving the price of a pint. It was kind of like drinking to the Regiment's past and future. Unfortunately a large wedge of that got sunk in consultancy fees and the end result did not meet expectations. They too fell into the trap of being the first on the scene at the Arsenal site and footfall just wasn't enough to make money. They did not have the DLR transport links in place back then, so it always remained an out of the way destination.
I do hope the Larkhill initiative is better. The RAHT has a cracking collection which I've had the privilege of working on. It needs to be out there on show for everyone to see. I will always have fond memories of my time at the Royal Armouries and was involved in a very small way with planning the oriental gallery at Leeds. The combination of premium artefacts, dioramas, reenactments and demonstrations within the galleries seemed a winner.
Fingers crossed Neil!
martin :)
Dioramas can be very evocative, be they the full scale 'melees frozen in time' or miniatures. I know the RA were keen to try and bring armour to life by showing it used in unusual or exciting poses.
On a side note, does anyone remember the 'marching legion' at Lincoln Museum? Someone recreated a full Legion 1:1 scale in 25mm figs marching through a model of the Legionary fortress gate at Lincoln... An awe inspiring sight...
You fellas might be interested to learn that when the first architectural mockups of galleries etc were being shown, many of us wargamers at the RA at that time recognised the 15mm figure manufacturers that were used to 'populate' the galleries!