Lambretta Li 150, 1965

Beaulieu – National Motor Museum

The Director commissioned me to support his wide-ranging Change programme in 2022. This is a long term commitment for us both and one which I relish.

I’m not a petrol head but the collection is superb and includes lots of social history, in addition to vehicles.

Gradually, the Museum is becoming more modern in its outlook and practice but, like any major Change process, it is a long job.

all photographs courtesy of Beaulieu – National Motor Museum

Jack Tucker’s garage

Arundells

courtesy of The Sir Edward Heath Charitable Foundation

This Georgian house in Salisbury’s Cathedral Close was the home of Sir Edward Heath, the former Prime Minister, who set up a Foundation in his will to open his former home so the public could enjoy it. It houses an exquisite collection of fine and decorative art and has a beautiful garden.

As part of their NLHF grant, I carried out a major Organisational Review of the Foundation to help them modernise their leadership and be fit for the future.

National Army Museum

courtesy of National Army Museum

I created some Good Governance workshops for the NAM’s Partnerships Manager. I designed and delivered an introduction to governance for directors, curators and managers. A second one was designed for Trustees, both new and experienced. These were delivered on Zoom but could be expanded for face-to-face sessions.

Historic Buildings & Places

courtesy of Historic Buildings & Places

Founded in 1924 as the Ancient Monuments Society, they have always been unique in promoting and defending all aspects of the built historic environment. Liz Power, their new Director, is implementing change to their legal status, their governance and to how they work. I am supporting her and the Board to modernise themselves to be able to face the many challenges in the environment today.

courtesy of The Sir Edward Heath Charitable Foundation

“I very much enjoyed the Trustee training which will be very beneficial to me and the museum. The handouts were the best I have encountered in 20 years as a Trustee. I sent a similar note to Hilary who was also a good instructor, especially as we were all on Zoom.”

Chair of a Regimental Museum

HB&P offers advice about the whole of the historic built environment

Managing Change in Museums & Galleries

I am the co-author with Piotr Bienkowski of “Managing Change in Museums & Galleries”, published in 2021 by Routledge. We issued six pre-publication extracts to help museums through the pandemic, though we believe they are still relevant today as museums are still struggling in so many cases.

Introduction to the extracts

As museums and galleries emerged from the lockdowns of the pandemic, we were all faced with both short, and longer-term problems. The sector did not recover from the pandemic before being buffeted by high inflation alongside the impact of international tensions; consequently, Change is inevitable for many of us. As a result, the longer-term challenges are about what sort of museum/gallery you want to be in the future, whether you can survive at all, what level of service you can provide and how to afford it.

Our book ‘Managing Change in Museums and Galleries’ was written before the pandemic, but it offers practical advice on how to prepare for, lead and implement change. This series of selected extracts was offered ahead of publication in the hope that the topics would help museums and galleries with the work of reflecting on, and re-thinking, their futures. We believe they will help you still.

The full table of contents is available at the end of each extract.