Museum charges
Sir: Now that entrance charges, it seems, are indeed to be imposed on National Museums from January I. National Heritage is quickly mounting the detailed research into the social structure, background. and purposes of museum visitors with which the Government should long ago have provided themselves. It may seem incredible, but no reliable figures exist which separate turnstile admissions into adults and children, foreign tourists and locals, old age pensioners and students, and so on (although this has not so far discouraged the Department of Education and Science from making forecasts for admissions next year, after charges are introduced, on which the Government's present policy appears to have been based). It is our intention to provide accurate and scientific figures for a detailed breakdown of the museum audience as soon as possible, during November, through samples taken at three major London museums; and then to return to the same museums one year later and repeat the research, in order to see whether entrance charges have made any perceptible changes in the pattern of museum visitors.
Professional research of this kind is expensive, and our existing resources will cover only about one third of the sum required. We would like therefore to ask all those who feel strongly about museum entrance charges to send contributions large or small to Museum Research Fund, P.O. Box 689, London SWI8 2PD. All contributions will be acknowledged. Should the Government have second thoughts and withdraw their scheme, the first part of the research will still be carried out, and the results placed at the disposal of the museums concerned.
John Letts National Heritage, 202 Great Suffolk Street, London, SE1
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