| Description | The 'New Exhibition Scheme' was the programme developed from the inception of DEE (Department of Exhibitions and Education) covering the period when the programme was led by Roger Miles and Mike Alt. When DPS (Department of Public Services) became DEE it corresponded with recruiting staff independently for the interpretation role. By 1985 this was being heavily reviewed and revised - by then it was being referred to in the past tense and projects from then on weren't seen as being in 'the new exhibition scheme' per se - just in the exhibition programme, although they were given NES phase numbers.
Some staff from science departments were seconded for the duration of the (Hall of Human Biology) HoHB and/or Ecology projects (e.g. Chris Stringer from Palaeontology), Alan Woolley (from Mineralogy) and the late Solen Morris (formerly in Zoology), but during the same time the Museum also hired several outside scientists like Brenda Walpole and Steve Parker to do some of this content work on these exhibitions. As part of the organisation of the NES working group, each scientist paired with a designer. The science people also worked to a head scientist (Roger Hamilton) and the designers to a head designer (David Gosling). There were also appointments as 'science writers' like Anne Bedser.
Roger Hamilton and Roger Miles both originally came from Palaeontology and they both transferred into the then DPS for the long-term, many others such as Stringer and Woolley were only there for the short-term duration of HoHB and Ecology.
So overall, the science content team for both projects was a mix of seconded people, transferred people, and people hired directly into DPS to do the science content work and related things. There was also a team of outside consultants for the science content and design work, some of them very distinguished scientists.
Timeline:
1 December 1968: Dr GF Claringbull (Keeper of Mineralogy) appointed Director of Museum
Trustees wanted the new Director to redevelop the public galleries. He first removed galleries from the control of Keepers and took responsibility for them himself. This was a first step towards a unified exhibition policy.
[1970-1971]: Director chaired group of scientists to consider how galleries might be redeveloped in terms of scientific content.
November 1971: Director set up and chaired an Exhibition Panel comprising 12 members of the Scientific staff plus the Education Officer (F Brightman). [See Trustees' Paper (February 1972), 'A proposal for a new approach to the visiting public']
Roger Miles was the Secretary of the Panel. The paper, approved by Trustees, set out four themes for the New Exhibition Scheme: (1) Man, (2) Ecology, (3) Life Processes and Behaviour, (4) Evolution and Diversity. It was prepared by a subgroup since the full Panel had proved unwieldy. Subgroup included the Director, Roger Miles (Palaeontology), JFM Cannon (Botany), LA Mound (Entomology).
1972: Three small working parties of scientific staff set up to develop detailed proposals (of content) for the Man, Ecology and Life Process and Behaviour themes.
These large documents were placed in the Library Reading Room for all Museum members to read and give feedback on. The Evolution and Diversity theme was not developed at this stage since the Director felt the Museum had sufficient experience in the area. The Ecology working party was chaired by JFM Cannon (Botany), the Life Processes and Behaviour by Roger Miles (other members were CR Curds and V Southgate (Zoology) and Richard Vane-Wright (Entomology)
1973: New working parties were set up to rework the proposals (of content) of the first three themes and to work up Evolution and Diversity for the first time. C Patterson (Palaeontology) chaired The Evolution and Diversity working party. R Forty chaired that for Man. About 40 scientific staff in all were involved in the two sets of working parties.
1973: A decision was taken to mount a pilot exhibition, drawn from the Man theme, to test the Museum's ability to carry out the programme of new exhibitions, which was now called the New Exhibition Scheme. A small group comprising RW Crosskey (Entomology), AL Rice (Zoology), TI Molleson (Palaeontology) and Roger Miles (by then seconded from Palaeontology to the Directorate) carried out this work. This outline may be the document sent to outside assessors, including JZ Young and B Tanner (both University College, London University).
1973: Development of the exhibition brief (content only) for pilot exhibition was undertaken. Completion of 104 page document in December 1973. This formed the basis of Trustees' paper 74/3 (April 1974), 'New Exhibition Scheme: Aspects of Human Development', which secured authorization for the project to go ahead.
WR Hamilton, Roger Miles, TI Molleson and BD Rosen (all Palaeontology) developed the brief. External consultants were Angela Hobsbaum and J Versey (Institute of Education, London University)
1974: Redevelopment of brief for pilot exhibition. The revised brief of 195 pages was completed in August 1974. Redevelopment was necessary because the original brief contained too much material for the available space, and the subject-matter had been worked up in too much detail. The work was done by the same team as before plus the addition of Beryl Crook, on secondment from the Institute of Educational Technology, Open University from March to September 1974
November 1974: Employment of AF Tout (Plessey, later self-employed) as consultant to the New Exhibition Scheme.
The series of Working Papers that over the first six months set out guiding principles for the design and production of the pilot exhibition.
M McDonald-Ross (Institute of Educational Technology, Open University) had written to the Director on 22 August 1974 to say, 'Your staff are faced with a management problem more demanding and more complex than any they have handled hitherto. Therefore, I recommend that a project control system be set up. To do this you will need the services of a consultant experienced in these matters; I recommend: Mr A F Tout,…' Between 1974 and 1980, Tout wrote over 60 Working Papers covering all aspects of New Exhibition Scheme work.
1 January 1975: Formation of Public Services with Roger Miles as first Head of Department. DPS (Department of Public Services) became responsible for all of the Museum's biological galleries. Its first task was to complete the pilot exhibition The Department was formed by merging an existing Exhibition Section with new staff brought in to develop the New Exhibition Scheme. This group included a writer (A Bedser), since the Director was concerned about the quality of Museum writing for the general public. The existing Education Section joined Public Services six months later.
1975: Basic planning and organisation took place of the team for the design and production pilot exhibition, still known as Aspects of human development. The definitive brief for the exhibition, a document of 30 pages, was produced in March 1975. This was soon followed by first floor plan, first schedule and project control system. Scientists were seconded to work on the exhibition. These included WR Hamilton, TI Molleson and BD Rosen (Palaeontology), Richard Vain-Wright and Richard Lane (Entomology).
6 April 1976: DPS Open day. Exhibition arranged in Conversazione Room, for all Museum staff, to show progress on Human Biology. Communicating with Museum staff about the redevelopment of the galleries was a major concern during early years of work, hence the number of Museum Notices and staff lectures devoted to this theme
1975-1977: Design, production, installation and opening of Human Biology.
Exhibition opened 24 May 1977 by the Secretary of State for Education and Science, the Right Hon. Shirley Williams MP.
Site preparation and exhibit production was done in co-operation with the Property Services Agency of the Department of the Environment, who provided engineering services and contract drawings, arranged contracts and supervised all shop-fitting aspects of the work.
1977 Opening of Human Biology
1978 Opening of Introducing Ecology
1979 Opening of Dinosaurs and Their Living Relatives
1980 Opening of Man's Place in Evolution
1981 Opening of Origin of Species
1982 Opening of Classification
1982 Opening of British Natural History
1985 Opening of Discovering Mammals (part 1)
1988 Opening of First Europeans (an international touring exhibition to celebrate bicentanary of Australia)
1989 Opening of Creepy Crawlies
1991 Opening of Ecology
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