Museums and Visitor Centres

Abstract

In the nineteenth century any town of respectable size added a museum to its collection of civic and public edifices. For some Victorian town planners the museum was the final component in a well developed civic centre, and it was often juxtaposed in a square or courtyard with the law courts, town hall, public library and post office. Invariably the museum building emphasised the themes of respectability, power and civic order by its classical architectural style, grand scale and restricted opening times. The curators of these large museums devoted much effort to conserving and enhancing their collections. Collections were displayed in highly organised, taxonomically based arrays of cases and shelves. The museums were a source of civic pride and a complete or remarkable collection signified the cultural “arrival” of the growing city or provincial town.