The Royal Museum of Scotland

I recently undertook some temporary work conducting research surveys for various art galleries and museums around Edinburgh. I questioned people about their reasons for visiting and what they felt they got out of their visit to the place. The results were very interesting. In 2001 the British Government decided to make all main Galleries and Museums free of charge to the public. This has changed the frequency of visits and reasons for the visits for many people.
One venue in which I conducting surveys, the Royal Museum (and adjoining Museum of Scotland), has a magnificent main hall with goldfish ponds and a cafe (pictured). The effect of charging no admission fee has meant that this space has been made available for all to freely enjoy. There were people just meeting for coffee, mothers with children watching the fish, and people on their lunchbreak. So as well as the museum-goers visiting the exhibitions (mostly tourists) there were lots of local people using the museum as a place to spend time enjoyably. This is a fantastic benefit to the people of Edinburgh, particulary in a city that for three quarters of the year it is too cold to comfortably enjoy outdoor public places. Not to mention the cultural and educational benefits of making museums and art galleries more available to everyone.