The week ended with some turbulence, and on an interesting note! Our Leverhulme artist in residence is preparing a sound installation in the Grand Entrance Hall, a space which is acoustically very lively. And in the same space, we were proud to host a frenzy of fundraising for Fondo per l’Ambiente Italiano (FAI), the Italian ‘National Trust’. In a fabulous evening of music and entertainment, they danced the Tarantella from south east Italy, where fast, frenzied steps are performed to cure the bite of a poisonous spider. In Apulia, the Taranta (woman who is bitten) must dance to survive; in London, the funder must donate to conserve. We are pleased to dance for Italy…
Saturday my favourite day for Brunel’s London Walk. Please note the boat trips and river walks now start 5 minutes earlier because of adjustments to Thames Clipper timetable. Thirty of us take a river trip, a river walk (fabulous views of Greenwich) and fifteen of us take lunch in the upper room of the Mayflower. The Fellows of The Royal Society celebrated here in 1834, toasted Marc Brunel on his 65th birthday and founded the Tunnel Club. Today we toast him with New Zealand wine and Scurvy beer, and feast on pan fried sea bass and chocolate fondant…
To date, annual visitor numbers are the highest ever, despite three quiet months earlier in the year. Mysteriously, most museums reported visitor numbers down by 10% early this summer, and at a time when foreign visits to UK increased. Some put it down to Brexit, but nobody knows – here’s the latest theory.
Museum volunteers were cheered this week by reviews on Trip Advisor and elsewhere. Brunel is an international figure, but this museum has no revenue funding and survives on visitor admission and spending. We are very glad when people come and write about an enjoyable stay.
Next week we have more school visits and more theatre:
Sunday 16th Oct
10.40 riverside walk from Bermondsey tube, offered in partnership with London Walks
11.00 Eighty people on the Migrants Walk call in to pay respects to Marc Brunel: a migrant who gave us the tube system see our film with Citizen TV. Now more than ever it’s important to acknowledge what migrants have done for London, and the walk is part of a campaign to set up a new Museum of Migration
Monday 17th Oct
10.40 riverside walk from Bermondsey tube, offered in partnership with London Walks
I am meeting our website designer, the new site will soon be up and running
Tuesday 18th Oct
10.40 heritage boat trip from Embankment tube offered in partnership with London Walks
St John’s Primary school meet Brunel in Person. Another chance for me to wear IKB’s hat
19.30 Concert by VOX: Phaedra. London based composers experiment with text, sampling, spoken word, video and song. I love this group, so arranged to be on the door this evening
Wednesday 19th Oct
10.30 Visiting U3A Group
10.40 heritage boat trip from Embankment tube offered in partnership with London Walks
11.00 Gardening Club
18.15 riverside walk from Bermondsey tube, offered in partnership with London Walks
Thursday 20th Oct
10.40 heritage boat trip from Embankment tube offered in partnership with London Walks
11.00 Ark Priory school meet Brunel in Person
13.00 Ark Priory school meet Brunel in Person
18.00 Crooked Tree transform the Grand Entrance Hall into a Cabaret of Curiosities. The museum becomes a showcase of theatrical and musical oddities, and the walls become a peepshow of horror and fascination before the show starts…
Friday 21st Oct
10.00 Cathedral Primary school meet Brunel in Person
10.40 heritage boat trip from Embankment tube offered in partnership with London Walks
14.00 Mayflower 400 Steering Group meet, Mayflower pub
18.00 Crooked Tree transform the Grand Entrance Hall into a Cabaret of Curiosities. More oddities…
Saturday 22nd Oct
10.40 heritage boat trip from Embankment tube offered in partnership with London Walks
13.30 lunch at the Tunnel Club, Mayflower pub upper room
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