Brent Museum, London
The new Brent Museum is located in the borough's largest library building, which also houses an art gallery and a cinema. A temporary exhibition area and an education room complement the main gallery space.
The museum attracts passing interest with a display on the ground floor next to the information desk, which features colourful artworks by community groups and museum objects on display. Busts of local celebrities take centre stage next to a suit of armour. Once up the stairs, a clear question greets visitors on the doors to the museum: 'What is Brent?'
Stepping into the exhibition following my preferred route, I was immersed in a display about domestic appliances showing life before electricity. Although I could press buttons and hear the noises of the appliances, I began my visit somewhat confused and lacking orientation. Things improved as I found information about suburbia and changes to local buildings through time and I began to feel in the right place again - my confidence restored.
From here on, a wide range of themes are given comprehensive coverage. A kitchen provides opportunities for exploration, with feely boxes, smells, and cupboards to open. A table gives an idea of typical meals from the 1950s. A large 'fuzzy felt' activity enables visitors to design their own wallpaper. These simple but effective ideas combine to create a visitor-friendly feel.
One theme gives way to another in a gentle manner and it is quite comfortable to browse. The topics pass from housing, schools, industry, shopping, leisure and spirituality, to crime, politics and transport.
Panels with a range of eclectic information cover the walls - both historical and contemporary. Photos and facts are laced through the zones and objects are displayed in a variety of cases or hidden in drawers.
The schools' zone includes artworks made by local school children, which were produced in collaboration with an artist. The result is a colourful display giving the work of younger visitors a clear presence in the museum.
A vox pop kiosk is a key exhibit, where visitors can record their own short video about memories of school from a menu of topics such as exams, school dinners and bullying. Visitors can then view the resulting videos. Most contributions are from young people and children. Encouraging older visitors to also offer their memories on video would increase the richness of this exhibit.
Throughout the museum a number of oral history points recount a series of residents' stories. These range from tales of their housing and how industry has changed with time, through to crime, with a moving account by the mother of a young man killed in 2003. This latter panel links up with the Not Another Drop campaign, which was launched in 2001 in an attempt to prevent gun and gun-related crime. Transcripts of these personal accounts are also available.
The way the museum deals with difficult contemporary issues in the same matter of fact way as more conventional local history is a real strength, and this helps to reflect the experiences of its local population.
As the exhibition clearly states, Brent is the 'most ethnically diverse place in Britain', and representing this diversity is obviously a priority for the museum. Diversity is integrated throughout the displays by the choice of images, and multiple viewpoints are expressed using audio recordings and video interviews, and through many of the artefacts.
The museum has clearly put inclusivity high on the agenda and by actively asking for more visitor involvement in the display, and through a range of community programmes, this should be sustained.
The museum displays work hard and deliver a lot, giving a real feel for the borough and its people. For example, 60 per cent of the residents are aged 39 or younger and 10 per cent of Brent families are single parents. But there was not a great deal of social comment about these figures and the wider context would be useful; for example, what proportion of the population of the UK is 39 or younger, and why is this relevant?
Active involvement is encouraged and there is plenty to engage families and children, such as simple hands-on exhibits, computer interactives and costumes to try on. The costumes range from helmets and uniform caps in the transport zone to school uniforms and items in the draper's shop. Older visitors might identify with the switchboard where the operator can 'listen in' to conversations.
The object-rich displays of the museum's predecessor, the Grange Museum of Community History, are still in evidence, but tucked away in drawers for visitors to find. The draper's shop is still in place, but the drawers are showing their age and will soon look shabby unless they are maintained in a way that encourages visitors' respect.
Flip-down seats with recognisable London Transport fabrics make a subtle connection with the local bus and tube networks.
I did not see any gallery staff in the museum, but the audiovisual displays kept the space alive and interesting. A few interactives were not working and the museum will need to work hard to maintain them.
The adjacent temporary exhibition area features Toytastic, which displays toys from around the world and from different time periods. This exhibition, which runs until mid-February, was pulling in the visitors, in particular young mothers and pre-school children. But many of the exhibits were the worse for wear and so it was not a particularly good advert for the museum.
On my way out of the main gallery, I eventually found the panel with the answer to the question 'What is Brent?', but this came too late - I had already found the answer for myself and had formed a strong impression of the place and its people, and why Brent is unique.
It will be a challenge to keep the museum in good order, but with such solid groundwork in place, I am sure it will continue to engage and inspire its visitors. As one comment card said: 'The Measuem was Gr8 I think u have out done urself,' Bibi.
Alison Porter is a museum learning consultant
Project data
Cost: £2.5m
Funders: Brent Council £1.25m, Heritage Lottery Fund £1.25m
Exhibition design: Real Studios
Lighting design: DHA Lighting
Interactives: HB Source
AV hardware: Integrated Circles
AV software/film supplier: Spiral Productions
The new Brent Museum is located in the borough's largest library building, which also houses an art gallery and a cinema. A temporary exhibition area and an education room complement the main gallery space.
The museum attracts passing interest with a display on the ground floor next to the information desk, which features colourful artworks by community groups and museum objects on display. Busts of local celebrities take centre stage next to a suit of armour. Once up the stairs, a clear question greets visitors on the doors to the museum: 'What is Brent?'
Stepping into the exhibition following my preferred route, I was immersed in a display about domestic appliances showing life before electricity. Although I could press buttons and hear the noises of the appliances, I began my visit somewhat confused and lacking orientation. Things improved as I found information about suburbia and changes to local buildings through time and I began to feel in the right place again - my confidence restored.
From here on, a wide range of themes are given comprehensive coverage. A kitchen provides opportunities for exploration, with feely boxes, smells, and cupboards to open. A table gives an idea of typical meals from the 1950s. A large 'fuzzy felt' activity enables visitors to design their own wallpaper. These simple but effective ideas combine to create a visitor-friendly feel.
One theme gives way to another in a gentle manner and it is quite comfortable to browse. The topics pass from housing, schools, industry, shopping, leisure and spirituality, to crime, politics and transport.
Panels with a range of eclectic information cover the walls - both historical and contemporary. Photos and facts are laced through the zones and objects are displayed in a variety of cases or hidden in drawers.
The schools' zone includes artworks made by local school children, which were produced in collaboration with an artist. The result is a colourful display giving the work of younger visitors a clear presence in the museum.
A vox pop kiosk is a key exhibit, where visitors can record their own short video about memories of school from a menu of topics such as exams, school dinners and bullying. Visitors can then view the resulting videos. Most contributions are from young people and children. Encouraging older visitors to also offer their memories on video would increase the richness of this exhibit.
Throughout the museum a number of oral history points recount a series of residents' stories. These range from tales of their housing and how industry has changed with time, through to crime, with a moving account by the mother of a young man killed in 2003. This latter panel links up with the Not Another Drop campaign, which was launched in 2001 in an attempt to prevent gun and gun-related crime. Transcripts of these personal accounts are also available.
The way the museum deals with difficult contemporary issues in the same matter of fact way as more conventional local history is a real strength, and this helps to reflect the experiences of its local population.
As the exhibition clearly states, Brent is the 'most ethnically diverse place in Britain', and representing this diversity is obviously a priority for the museum. Diversity is integrated throughout the displays by the choice of images, and multiple viewpoints are expressed using audio recordings and video interviews, and through many of the artefacts.
The museum has clearly put inclusivity high on the agenda and by actively asking for more visitor involvement in the display, and through a range of community programmes, this should be sustained.
The museum displays work hard and deliver a lot, giving a real feel for the borough and its people. For example, 60 per cent of the residents are aged 39 or younger and 10 per cent of Brent families are single parents. But there was not a great deal of social comment about these figures and the wider context would be useful; for example, what proportion of the population of the UK is 39 or younger, and why is this relevant?
Active involvement is encouraged and there is plenty to engage families and children, such as simple hands-on exhibits, computer interactives and costumes to try on. The costumes range from helmets and uniform caps in the transport zone to school uniforms and items in the draper's shop. Older visitors might identify with the switchboard where the operator can 'listen in' to conversations.
The object-rich displays of the museum's predecessor, the Grange Museum of Community History, are still in evidence, but tucked away in drawers for visitors to find. The draper's shop is still in place, but the drawers are showing their age and will soon look shabby unless they are maintained in a way that encourages visitors' respect.
Flip-down seats with recognisable London Transport fabrics make a subtle connection with the local bus and tube networks.
I did not see any gallery staff in the museum, but the audiovisual displays kept the space alive and interesting. A few interactives were not working and the museum will need to work hard to maintain them.
The adjacent temporary exhibition area features Toytastic, which displays toys from around the world and from different time periods. This exhibition, which runs until mid-February, was pulling in the visitors, in particular young mothers and pre-school children. But many of the exhibits were the worse for wear and so it was not a particularly good advert for the museum.
On my way out of the main gallery, I eventually found the panel with the answer to the question 'What is Brent?', but this came too late - I had already found the answer for myself and had formed a strong impression of the place and its people, and why Brent is unique.
It will be a challenge to keep the museum in good order, but with such solid groundwork in place, I am sure it will continue to engage and inspire its visitors. As one comment card said: 'The Measuem was Gr8 I think u have out done urself,' Bibi.
Alison Porter is a museum learning consultant
Project data
Cost: £2.5m
Funders: Brent Council £1.25m, Heritage Lottery Fund £1.25m
Exhibition design: Real Studios
Lighting design: DHA Lighting
Interactives: HB Source
AV hardware: Integrated Circles
AV software/film supplier: Spiral Productions
