Museums and heritage - Essay Example

As a result, many museums are changing their formats to include the use of more multi-media presentations and entertainments, seemingly attempting to challenge, in at least some small part, the larger amusement parks and presenting idyllic views of the past that are drifting ever further away from the truth. In preserving the history of the Industrial Age, an important era in the development of the nation, museums such as the Ironbridge Gorge Museum and the Black Country Living History Museum have effectively removed the horrors of this time period, offering instead a false nostalgia for the ways of the past.

These two museums will be examined in the context of English history as well as the effects of the new living history presentations forced by the commoditization of history as these concepts apply to the museums’ structure, tourism and authenticity. The essay will explore some of the advantages and disadvantages of the living history form of interpretation by examining the rising popularity of industrial museums and why they are so popular. Following this introduction, the concepts of English history and culture will be explored in terms of the concept of ‘Englishness’ and the role that this plays on the interpretation of history.

By examining the definitions of industrial heritage, culture and heritage, one can begin to form an idea of what cultural heritage is and why an accurate interpretation is important for a true understanding of the past. The second section of the paper will examine the cultural significance of the industrial era by looking at the role of the industrial revolution and the development of the imagined past. The connections of this past to more present day events will be examined and cultural evidence of these connections will be explored as a means of revealing why these types of museums have developed and what they hope to