100 London Road
Forest Hill
London SE23 3PQ
Friday August 3 2018
The more alert amongst you will have noticed that
- We have not blogged for a while due to holidays and hosting overseas visitors various and
- We have visited here before
However today’s visit was to look
at a new feature in the Gardens – the Butterfly House – and the newly
restored/re-opened World Gallery.
The Butterfly House is near the top exit and where the head groundsman’s
house and garden used to be is now a glasshouse filled with temperate and
tropical plants. As you can imagine
entering this when the outside temperature is already in the low thirties was
just short of madness so we would advise a visit when the weather cools down.
Brightness is helpful in order to see some of the more camouflaging species.
There is a cost which can be combined with other attractions, such the Aquarium
in the main building (also highly recommended), and a family ticket is the best
value at £13-50.
For much of the visit we had the
space to ourselves plus a few hundred butterflies – there is always
a very friendly and knowledgeable staff member on duty; today they were working
in hourly shifts because of the heat but it is well worth speaking with them.
While it was quiet we enjoyed the gentle sweep of the butterflies who seem
unafraid of the human presence. These of course are tropical species and both
larger and often more colourful than our own – there are plates of succulent
fruit and they often pause to draw nourishment. Obviously – because they flit –
it is quite hard to capture with a standard camera (not helped by the fact that
my camera was reacting to the heat by going on periodic strike action).
Information boards explain the
metamorphosis process – caterpillar to pupa to butterfly – and identify the
dozen or so different varieties. There
is also an open cupboard where the ‘imported’ pupae hang. Some of them (mainly the browner species) look
a little 'moth-eaten' round the edges (nibbled) and do fall victim to both ants and
an intruder mouse. Apparently they have no pain receptors so are not distressed
by losing the edge of their wings but of course would die if they can no longer
fly. The life-span is about three weeks (as a butterfly). The staff keep a rough count by the number of
corpses which they rescue before the public come in. Also they were able to
indicate which caterpillars prefer which species of trees and we could see by
the nibbled leaves what was popular – the butterflies are also quite tribal so keep to their own
This was a strangely soothing yet
interesting experience and one can but wonder at nature’s ingenuity and range. Among
others we saw some Red Postmen, Blue Morphos, Owls (so aptly named) and
Malachites – unsurprisingly the greeny ones.
We emerged through the double doors and headed downhill to
the Main Museum. Since our last visit the World Gallery, which has been in the
Victorian era main hall since Mr Horniman opened his ethnographic objects and
stuffed animals to the public, there has been a makeover. To my best knowledge
this is the third remodelling of these particular exhibits; when we first came to
this area in the Seventies they were , I suspect, very much as he had left them,
slightly dusty and lacking much context.
The Millennium saw the museum being extended and there was an emphasis
on the African exhibits which were displayed more sympathetically and
attractively.
The World Gallery only re-opened last month and to much
acclaim and now brings together these African artefacts and others from round
the World – the cases, which reach to the ground so even crawling babies (and we tripped over
one) can see, are arranged both by
continent and by theme accompanied by film variously of the objects in use,
people speaking of their memories of
them, the personal significance of them plus films of the modern cultures which
continue to use them. In short you can absorb as little or as much information
as you wish. It was also reassuring to see some old familiar objects
masks/puppets/ scrimshank spruced up and
given a fresh angle for the visitor to contemplate. Though not as famous as the
overstuffed walrus, who at one time had his own website, there are several
significant items that long time visitors to the Horniman would miss if not on display.
The Museum likes to emphasize the creativity and
adaptability of people round the
world and we particularly liked the old
tins re-purposed as oil lamps, and the
advice not to worry too much….
However whether you are a regular or a first-time
visitor you are sure to find something to entrance and interest you. 
No comments:
Post a Comment