please empty your brain below
Excellent exposé.

Alfie | 24.10.24 - 7:40 a.m. | #

In the circumstances a ban on liquids is reasonable. But it's also reasonable to expect the institution to properly manage and resource the additional checks to ensure this situation is avoided. Early days; maybe it will become more efficient.

Frank F | 24.10.24 - 8:26 a.m. | #

I spent my teenage years working at one of the largest theme parks in the country, and also spent a large part of that time selling and managing the fast track systems. With queuing (if you want to avoid a bad guest experience) you really have to spoon feed the public - they will stand in the wrong place, go the wrong way, form a crowd not a line etc.etc. This is all perfectly understandable given human nature and the large variety of languages spoken at popular tourist sites. Think airport security and the amount of work that goes into making them efficient. If the National Gallery is serious about this, they'll adapt and get it right over time (probably)

mdc | 24.10.24 - 8:49 a.m. | #

At the British Museum back entrance, you can bypass the security check if you have no bags. I have observed staff at the entrance doors shout out at bagless visitors in the queue that they can walk straight in.

At the front of the British Museum, there are signs that no photos can be taken at the gate entrance (that is, no photos of the security staff) and abusive behaviour will not be tolerated. To me it suggests the museum expects people to be frustrated because of the queuing system, but won't do anything improve it.

MA | 24.10.24 - 8:49 a.m. | #

The last time I went to the British Museum the queue experience was bad enough that I never wanted to go back. I can't say I will be a rush to head to the National Gallery any time soon

As for the no liquid ban, well presumably it still has a cafe... If you really wanted to pour something over a painting, you would find a way

Andrew Bowden | Homepage | 24.10.24 - 9:03 a.m. | #

I'm intrigued by what mischief someone might get up to with some cut flowers.

Andrew S | 24.10.24 - 9:44 a.m. | #

What's with the *requirement* to queue (even for a minute) at the Natural History Museum??

MarcB | 24.10.24 - 9:52 a.m. | #

It would help if there where lockers for bags etc. before the checks. Then most people will be bag-free inside the museum and bag search is not necessary.

Or do options to store baggage (including a bottle of water) allready exist?

MK | 24.10.24 - 10:02 a.m. | #

If I had found queues that long at the front entrance of the National Gallery, I would have taken a short walk around the block to try the rear entrance. I've done the same at the British Museum.

Ian Paton | 24.10.24 - 10:35 a.m. | #

How restrained everyone is being at the cause of all this disruption! Hello birds, hello sky...

David B | 24.10.24 - 11:31 a.m. | #

I know I’d also be pretty pissed off if confronted by all this, but perhaps you shouldn’t be too hard on the National Gallery. It’s a Victorian building with poor access anyway and a narrow entrance never built for high-security checks, and the safety valve of the Sainsbury Wing entrance was already shut off for building work when the Sunflower attack took place. Yes, it sounds as though the signage is deficient, but they’ve put emergency measures in place at very short notice and presumably recruited — and had to vet and train — extra staff on already tight budgets. They can’t rebuild the staircase.

I worked at a major arts organisation during the 80s IRA bombing campaign; we had to recruit and train extra security staff and reorganise entry points and crowd control as an emergency, but it took a few weeks to all settle down (and we still had to evacuate 2,500 people in just a few minutes after a telephone threat, mercifully a hoax). At least the gallery is still open, when the easier options might have been to close it — or at least the Van Gogh exhibition — completely or do regimented timed entry for everyone in very small batches, irrespective of what they wanted to see.

Labourer | 24.10.24 - 11:44 a.m. | #

How depressing!
Hopefully they'll get it down to a Fine Art soon (pun intended!)

Cornish Cockney | 24.10.24 - 11:59 a.m. | #

Has anyone asked Just Stop Oil for a statement?

Robert Butlin | 24.10.24 - 12:21 p.m. | #

I had the same experience as dg at the British Museum a few months ago (turn up at Museum St entrance, ask since there was an absolutely massive crowd, get told it was "only for the special exhibition", walk round to the back), except that in my case there was a 10 or so minute queue even at the back. By the time I left a few hours later it had lengthened to at least 100 people. The queue in the front was just insane though.

And in the end the gallery I came primarily to see was closed!

Anonymous | 24.10.24 - 1:19 p.m. | #

Science Museum - I also ignore the online pre-booking and drop by the desk but was asked an extra question: my email address. Why? I do not know. They never sent me any emails afterwards (thankfully)

National History Museum: hilarious

British Museum: the arrangements keep changing, no wonder no one seems to have a clue of which queue to pick. Was the queue for 'pre-booked' tickets any shorter?

matthieu1221 | 24.10.24 - 1:20 p.m. | #

The crowds would be easier to manage if the museums weren't a free day out for everyone on the planet, not just UK residents. When we travel overseas we pay for museums yet visitors from those same countries come here and get free museums funded by our taxes.
A system to allow free entry just for UK residents would allow funds to improve the security arrangements and improve the exhibits.

Roman | 24.10.24 - 4:05 p.m. | #

Roman, an obvious point maybe, but have you considered that free museums attract a lot of visitors to our otherwise pretty expensive city?

Peter T | 24.10.24 - 9:08 p.m. | #

I'm glad I saw the Van Gogh exhibition a few weeks ago, before the queuing became this insane. It was very good btw.

The queues outside the front of the British Museum were not safe, as people stood on a very narrow pavement all the way around the block, obstructing traffic and causing problems. I wonder if Camden council or somebody finally told them to move the queue to the back. Also, that dirty white marquee tent everyone had to shuffle through to be bag checked was very depressing.

dncn | 24.10.24 - 11:07 p.m. | #

I see you have been mentioned in the Telegraph today in the features section

Debster | 30.10.24 - 9:28 a.m. | #

Heavens, so I have.

They made me the final sentence too :)

diamond geezer | Homepage | 30.10.24 - 9:32 a.m. | #











TridentScan v3.0.0 | Privacy Policy