as jens rightly says, trying to 'provoke' and interest back may be the only way. again, the tournament thing works, but only in a museum that specialises in the 'martial' aspect of history. the main reason the royal armouries left london, is to regain space and set up a proper museum. they charged admission at first, and found the site they had chosen was not easily accessable to anyone, except locals. it was too far a trip for tourists coming to london. also, the high prices in admission were needed to recover funds and expenses, which just meant fewer people turned up. now, they have abolished the entrance fees and are funded by the government (i think thats how it works). they now offer a service, in the education of the surrounding schools and its a great museum to visit, with much to do and to attract kids and interest (knights fighting etc).
but, a museum that specialises in dinosaurs (for eg) that has a large store of donated weapons collections would be less inclined unfortunately. also, in london (and other cities) there is no space at all.
i fear the answer is not in us (our interests are already confirmed), but in the general public who need to be inticed.
in the V&A, versace attracts more interest than tipu or ranjit singh.
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