Tell that to the visitor centre's manager who is already demanding an internet counter-campaign, lol
What I find most amusing is the rather naive notion that Ricardians were going to just shrug their shoulders and let Leicester get on with it. That was never going to happen!
As I've said before, those in favour of a Leicester reburial have never understood the depth of feeling that Ricardians have towards Richard III. I doubt most of them even knew that much about him prior to the discovery of the remains.
The visitor centre will be a failure, of course, but not because of anything posted online. It'll fail simply because it's not very good and has almost nothing of any authenticity to offer. Just thinking of that 'stormtrooper' suit of armour with its cardboard crown makes me laugh out loud. I can hardly wait for the burial ceremony itself. I suspect it will be a box of unintended delights and unintentional laughs.
Here's Philippa Langley's letter in which is details how she was screwed over by the university regarding the text used in the visi£or centre:
Oh we get the strength of feeling!!- It's the completely over the top reaction and vitriol that has been thrown at Leicester and its residents by the majority of the "campaigners" (including yourself) that is just plain embarrassing and churlish and is more suited to the school playground. When the internet trolls have found something else to troll about the Visitor Centre will still be there, Leicester will still be there and the remains of the last Plantagenet King will still be there where they've lain for over 500 years. Not much more to say really. (I would get someone to have a look at your keyboard though Kapp as it seems to insert £ signs in certain words- either that or you just can't spell)
It's quite cute that kramstan thinks anyone will be flocking over their county borders. ;o)
I occasionally have to go to Leicestershire for in-law duty visits, but don't feel this visitor centre sounds enticing enough for me to bother going into Leicester itself. It is quite touching kramstan imagines that 'bitter' Dick 3 fans everywhere will have to 'swallow their pride' and enter the cultural nomansland that is at least, the Leicester of my memory. I'd imagine on the day of the reinterment, Middleham may become the focus of an alternative gathering - no real need even for die-hard Ricardians ever to go to Leicester, let alone have to spit out their imaginary bile and crawl on hands and knees in sackcloth and ashes, into Leicester. It's quite touching s/he imagines anyone would be arsed.
Oh we get the strength of feeling!!- It's the completely over the top reaction and vitriol that has been thrown at Leicester and its residents by the majority of the "campaigners" (including yourself) that is just plain embarrassing and churlish and is more suited to the school playground.
If you 'got' the strength of feeling then you'd realise the 'reaction' is entirely proportionate.
No true Ricardian supports a Leicester reburial or the tacky vi$itor centre.
It's quite cute that kramstan thinks anyone will be flocking over their county borders. ;o)
I occasionally have to go to Leicestershire for in-law duty visits, but don't feel this visitor centre sounds enticing enough for me to bother going into Leicester itself. It is quite touching kramstan imagines that 'bitter' Dick 3 fans everywhere will have to 'swallow their pride' and enter the cultural nomansland that is at least, the Leicester of my memory. I'd imagine on the day of the reinterment, Middleham may become the focus of an alternative gathering - no real need even for die-hard Ricardians ever to go to Leicester, let alone have to spit out their imaginary bile and crawl on hands and knees in sackcloth and ashes, into Leicester. It's quite touching s/he imagines anyone would be arsed.
Ha ha- you're funny Hog and I apologise if my previous post appeared to give the impression that me or anyone else in Leicester gives a sh*it, because we really don't! I really couldn't be arsed if some "bitter Dick 3" fans as you put it, can't be arsed to visit. The comment was made in the context of "if you want to come and visit then do so- but just leave the crap at the door before you come in". If you don't then fair enough. Simple as that really.
You and others paint Leicester as a one dimensional, financially desperate city that will stand or fall by the success of the Vistor Centre and the RIII legend. Utterly misguided and ignorant bullsh*t.
Leicester may not float your boat- but it is a great example of a modern progressive English city with glorious countryside surrounding it. It's far from perfect and has similar problems to other cities of its size, but it also has a lot going for it above and beyond the RIII story.
We have a Premier league football team, a top Premier League Rugby team, two thriving and hugely successful Universities, the UK's longest running Comedy Festival, an excellent modern theatre, some of the best Indian restaurants in the country, great bars, great shopping and as one of the oldest cities in England it still retains a lot of history (despite your constant droning about "visits t'in-laws").... the list goes on..
So let the wacko's carry on being wacko, but just let us and others who want to visit Leicester and who have an interest in the RIII story do so without the constant childish antics and histrionics. Leicester played a significant part in the RIII story, which no one can deny. It is now settled that his remains will stay in Leicester and Leicester can be rightly proud of this. But whatever you do, please don't think that RIII is all that Leicester is about, because it really isn't. If some people pulled their heads from up their own a**es- they may well be able to see that for themselves!
If you 'got' the strength of feeling then you'd realise the 'reaction' is entirely proportionate.
No true Ricardian supports a Leicester reburial or the tacky vi$itor centre.
Still not got that keyboard fixed I see? There is a minority of "Campaigners"who are behaving like schoolkids- I suggest you have a look in the dictionary and check the meaning of "proportionate" or "reasonable" when reading some of the responses that are being propagated on the "Leicester Cabal" Facebook page or similar sites!! Mind you I wouldn't expect you to understand the meaning of reasonable or proportionate given your history on this thread! ;-)
Still not got that keyboard fixed I see? There is a minority of "Campaigners"who are behaving like schoolkids- I suggest you have a look in the dictionary and check the meaning of "proportionate" or "reasonable" when reading some of the responses that are being propagated on the "Leicester Cabal" Facebook page or similar sites!! Mind you I wouldn't expect you to understand the meaning of reasonable or proportionate given your history on this thread! ;-)
Why are you even reading such 'sites' if, as you've confessed, you have no interest in those people's opinions?
The time for talking is over- RIII will be re-interred in our Cathedral in Leicester whether you like it or not and no amount of histrionics will change that now, so you may as well swallow your pride and come and join us.......if you can leave your bitter bulls**t at the county boundary that is.;-)
The histrionics will carry on until the remains are interred and the tomb constructed etc.
At that point I think there will be a natural tail-off in the numbers of people involved in campaigning etc. They still won't agree with what has happened, but they'll be resigned to it, and give up.
There will still be a small core of people who will carry on, and demand a disinterment.... like the poor old demented woman who used to stand with a placard outside the site of the former Nelson Hotel in my hometown every Wednesday, protesting that it had been in demolished in 1970.
The histrionics will carry on until the remains are interred and the tomb constructed etc.
At that point I think there will be a natural tail-off in the numbers of people involved in campaigning etc. They still won't agree with what has happened, but they'll be resigned to it, and give up.
There will still be a small core of people who will carry on, and demand a disinterment.... like the poor old demented woman who used to stand with a placard outside the site of the former Nelson Hotel in my hometown every Wednesday, protesting that it had been in demolished in 1970.
A travesty will always be a travesty no matter how much time passes by.
A travesty will always be a travesty no matter how much time passes by.
I should have added that the Nelson Hotel was a very ugly building thrown up in the 1930s by this woman's father. It was demolished to make way for the excavation and subsequent restoration of the medieval market area.
I also think people who think the reinterment is a travesty will still think that, only they'll realise moaning about it won't change anything, and the issue will gradually be forgotten about.
'I also think people who think the reinterment is a travesty will still think that........
and the issue will gradually be forgotten about.'
How very sweet that you think that, Welsh Lad
Bless.
Ummm thanks
I hope you grasped my point though i.e. that a very entrenched hardcore will continue bleating, but the wider base of support (e.g. many members of the public, some of the actors and MPs the York folk got onside) will rapidly move on once the actual reinterment has happened.
It's still seen as a fight atm as the bones are still disinterred, though of course it's just a matter of time.
Disappointed that the white armour turns out to be a daft educational aid, and not an inspired bit of chain yanking for the Yorkies to gnaw on.
How brilliant would the blood-stained throne be as the entrance piece? Come on Leicester sort it out and get rid of those union jack wellies and get some proper Ricardian ones, white roses intertwined with sour grapes.
Disappointed that the white armour turns out to be a daft educational aid, and not an inspired bit of chain yanking for the Yorkies to gnaw on.
How brilliant would the blood-stained throne be as the entrance piece? Come on Leicester sort it out and get rid of those union jack wellies and get some proper Ricardian ones, white roses intertwined with sour grapes.
I suspect, DPS that if the Cathedral was surrounded by the modern equivalent of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and the City Council had got the finest academic minds in creation to organise their Visitor Centre, there would be those who are opposed to it in principle.
The most disparaging comments I have read about it, have come from people who boast they have never been to Leicester and would poke their eyes out with sharp sticks before they put a foot in the place. That doesn't stop them commenting on something they have never seen and never will, though.
Most of the non-visitor reviews have been based on the photographs and PR that the centre has used for promotion over the last week. Why would they want to visit and pay for something that looks to be inaccurate, badly done, and disrespectful?
There were about 500 people there when I had a shufty about 1pm, but to be honest it just seemed like a normal sunny Saturday crowd to me.D
That doesn't sound like very many to me. If it averaged 500 all day, maybe a little more, then they're not doing very well. The numbers will only go down after the grand opening, so it could take a very long time to break even, if they ever do.
I have read the linked page but still can't find the ref to white armour. What were they thinking? D
The school of thought is that someone misunderstood the old phrase 'white armour' meaning clean and polished, and actually painted it white.
The official line is that everything else in that part of the exhibit is white, so it was painted the same to fit with the 'clinical' look they wanted that room to have.
The white armour isn't white because of any error - that comment was someone's 'guess' or 'supposition' as why it was white - but it was incorrect. It's not meant to be an accurate representation of Richard's armour - but a model, indicating what the different parts of a suit of armour are made up of.
It's been reported that the blue stickers are to show where Richard was wounded - I've heard both explanations now, and still don't know which version they're supposed to represent.
If the visitor centre is this bad just imagine how awful the ceremony itself will be at the 'cathedral'?!
There's a rumour going round that celebrities will be chanrged £2500 to attend the private reburial after the ceremony. I sincerely hope that it's not true, but if it is, the cathedral's claim to not be using him for profit will be proven to be another lie.
That's not a fair account of what's been happening - people have been expressing criticism on the centre's Facebook page, and basing their 'reviews' on the publicity material they've seen. The page which posted encouraging one star reviews has now removed the post, which was only made in frustration, and because of which didn't make it clear that the reviews were to be based on what had been seen in the press. Deliberate negative reviews are not supported by the campaigners, who were merely expressing their views on the content that has become public in the last week.
Negative reviews have also been posted on Trip Advisor, but as far as I know, those are all genuine. Only one has come from one of the campaigners, a lady who was actually there on opening day, and saw it for herself. Another Facebook page has been encouraging visitors to give five star reviews on TA whether they liked it or not, which is no better than people deliberately giving one star just to mark it down. Either way, those would both be false reviews.
Whether the centre is genuinely worth visiting, will become apparant in time, by whether it's successful or not.
Sorry I must have missed the part where the actual remains of Richard III are on public display for public "rubbernecking".
The projection of his skeleton in his grave, and the copy of his skeleton on the 'scanner' table, both put him on display without using his actual remains. These things are no more tasteful or respectful, and a lot of people are finding them upsetting.
The Council won't give a flying f**k about the negative comments- anyone who wants to visit will do so anyway and are hardly likely to be deterred by a few moronic and embarrassingly childish comments by some anonymous and deluded keyboard warriors on a Facebook page.
Then there's no problem with the backlash, is there? If people will come to visit anyway.
The council will be concerned by negative reviews, they'll put off potential visitors, and the centre won't profit.
The time for talking is over- RIII will be re-interred in our Cathedral in Leicester whether you like it or not and no amount of histrionics will change that now, so you may as well swallow your pride and come and join us.......if you can leave your bitter bulls**t at the county boundary that is.;-)
Most Ricardians won't be joining you. There's a lot going on that you don't know about, so don't be too sure he'll be buried there just yet.
At that point I think there will be a natural tail-off in the numbers of people involved in campaigning etc. They still won't agree with what has happened, but they'll be resigned to it, and give up.
There will still be a small core of people who will carry on, and demand a disinterment.... like the poor old demented woman who used to stand with a placard outside the site of the former Nelson Hotel in my hometown every Wednesday, protesting that it had been in demolished in 1970.
I hope you grasped my point though i.e. that a very entrenched hardcore will continue bleating, but the wider base of support (e.g. many members of the public, some of the actors and MPs the York folk got onside) will rapidly move on once the actual reinterment has happened.
More than just the York MP's now - a number of others, and a number of members of the House of Lords.
I agree with your remarks about the online reviews being based upon the extensive visual coverage the visitor centre has had .e.g. you don't need to have visited to disapprove of the frankly ludicious 'projection' of the bones into the grave pit. I thought it seemed like the best part of the exhibition at first, a stone 'chapel', a quasi-sacred space where visitors could contemplate the grave site, and yet they ruin it by having a flashing image more akin to an amusement park. I can imagine kids sprawled over the glass floor, squealing and pointing. It's all rather grotesque.
Of course the main reason for the visitor centre is to make money out of Kerching Richard so any thoughts of decency will inevitably be put on the back-burner. As one Leicester resident said on the Mercury website:
its time this city made some money
I know people who have looked at the photos and info on the visitor centre and, without any prompting from me, declared that it looked tacky and not worth visiting.
As for the rumour that people will be charged to attend the actual reburial...I'd love to know whether that's true or not. It wouldn't surprise me at all, tbh. The 'cathedral' will be as hopeful of making money out of £ichard III just as much as the city council.
What strikes me most forcefully is the impression I get that most of those in favour of a Leicester reburial have no feeling for the king at all. To the univeristy he's just a collection of old bones, an archaeological curio, shoved in a box with a broken kettle on top.
No-one with any feeling for the king would support a re-enactment of the journey his body made from Bosworth to Leicester. No-one with any feeling for the king would support a reburial in Leicester at all when there are vastly more fitting locations. I appreciate the argument that Leicester is part of the historical story, the place where he stayed before Bosworth and returned after defeat.
But the dry academia of the history books is something quite distinct from viewing Richard III in his own right as a former king and human being. As a former King of England he should've been reburied at Westminster Abbey. As the long-serving Lord of the North under Edward IV, with such strong connections with Northern England, he should've been reburied at York, the former capital city of his domain.
I'll be following the future of the visitor centre very closely but I'm already prepared to crow from the rafters when it runs into financial difficulties and has to shut. Leicester isn't exactly on the list of tourist's itinerary. A crappy, expensive visitor centre and a nasty tomb in a squalid parish church are hardly going to change that.
Sorry, but that armour just makes me laugh every time I see it!
And it's quite explicitly labelled as 'Richard's Armour'. I wonder why they didn't try to scrounge some loans from the Royal Armoury to put on display?? There are no authentic weapons or artifacts to be seen.
I agree with your remarks about the online reviews being based upon the extensive visual coverage the visitor centre has had .e.g. you don't need to have visited to disapprove of the frankly ludicious 'projection' of the bones into the grave pit.
It seems as though from what visitors have been saying, the promotional photographs show us almost everything in there, so there's nothing people haven't already seen when they visit. And there's not very much in the photographs.
The admin of the Facebook page that made the post about the one star reviews, has seen the centre, and she says that it was awful, mostly empty space. The only thing she was even vaguely positive about was the baked potato she had in the cafe.
It seems as though from what visitors have been saying, the promotional photographs show us almost everything in there, so there's nothing people haven't already seen when they visit. And there's not very much in the photographs.
The admin of the Facebook page that made the post about the one star reviews, has seen the centre, and she says that it was awful, mostly empty space. The only thing she was even vaguely positive about was the baked potato she had in the cafe.
at first i was "bury him next to his wife or child" but the more this ridiculous argument has escalated i cant understand the bitterness and arguments over someone they have never known and was alive over 500 years ago. Its a money spinner for Leicester- York lost out, but Leicester found the remains so just let them enjoy the aftermath- as if Richard III will care now. Another massive argument all over potential money !!!!
at first i was "bury him next to his wife or child" but the more this ridiculous argument has escalated i cant understand the bitterness and arguments over someone they have never known and was alive over 500 years ago. Its a money spinner for Leicester- York lost out, but Leicester found the remains so just let them enjoy the aftermath- as if Richard III will care now. Another massive argument all over potential money !!!!
Leicester did no such thing. No-one there was remotely interested in the whereabouts of the remains until Philippa Langley came along and practically begged the university to do a dig.
As I've said before, unless you're a Ricardian you wouldn't understand the affinity people feel towards the former king. That's what it's about. It's nothing to do with money, or York or Leicester or Westminster Abbey. It's about doing the right thing for Richard III. And no-one with any affinity for the king will ever believe that 'doing the right thing' equates to a Leicester reburial.
And they need to do something about the crown. It looks like something they've bought off the web from Kate Middleton's parents. It's only slightly more convincing than the tat the Ricardians are trying to get buried with him.
And they need to do something about the crown. It looks like something they've bought off the web from Kate Middleton's parents. It's only slightly more convincing than the tat the Ricardians are trying to get buried with him.
So you don't count yourself as a Ricardian then. What exactly is your interest in the kerching?
Do you people not see the harm you are doing? What should have been a reason for the whole country to celebrate has been ruined by a (very) small group of self righteous bigots.
You say Richard would have wanted to be reinterred in York Minster but I'm sure if he knew the preparations underway to convert Leicester Cathedral into his personal shrine almost he would be very pleased.
It's clear the only ones with money on their minds are York. I've been visiting that beautiful city every year for the past 15 years and it wasn't until a couple of years ago that I became of how important it was supposed to have been for him. There was the crappy little "museum" in the Monkbar and that was it. I found out recently there is a stained glass window in the Minster too. However this year we now have the "Richard III Experience" and also the Micklegate museum about Henry VII. Both are still pretty poor by the way.
Comments
Oh we get the strength of feeling!!- It's the completely over the top reaction and vitriol that has been thrown at Leicester and its residents by the majority of the "campaigners" (including yourself) that is just plain embarrassing and churlish and is more suited to the school playground. When the internet trolls have found something else to troll about the Visitor Centre will still be there, Leicester will still be there and the remains of the last Plantagenet King will still be there where they've lain for over 500 years. Not much more to say really. (I would get someone to have a look at your keyboard though Kapp as it seems to insert £ signs in certain words- either that or you just can't spell
I occasionally have to go to Leicestershire for in-law duty visits, but don't feel this visitor centre sounds enticing enough for me to bother going into Leicester itself. It is quite touching kramstan imagines that 'bitter' Dick 3 fans everywhere will have to 'swallow their pride' and enter the cultural nomansland that is at least, the Leicester of my memory. I'd imagine on the day of the reinterment, Middleham may become the focus of an alternative gathering - no real need even for die-hard Ricardians ever to go to Leicester, let alone have to spit out their imaginary bile and crawl on hands and knees in sackcloth and ashes, into Leicester. It's quite touching s/he imagines anyone would be arsed.
If you 'got' the strength of feeling then you'd realise the 'reaction' is entirely proportionate.
No true Ricardian supports a Leicester reburial or the tacky vi$itor centre.
Ha ha- you're funny Hog and I apologise if my previous post appeared to give the impression that me or anyone else in Leicester gives a sh*it, because we really don't! I really couldn't be arsed if some "bitter Dick 3" fans as you put it, can't be arsed to visit. The comment was made in the context of "if you want to come and visit then do so- but just leave the crap at the door before you come in". If you don't then fair enough. Simple as that really.
You and others paint Leicester as a one dimensional, financially desperate city that will stand or fall by the success of the Vistor Centre and the RIII legend. Utterly misguided and ignorant bullsh*t.
Leicester may not float your boat- but it is a great example of a modern progressive English city with glorious countryside surrounding it. It's far from perfect and has similar problems to other cities of its size, but it also has a lot going for it above and beyond the RIII story.
We have a Premier league football team, a top Premier League Rugby team, two thriving and hugely successful Universities, the UK's longest running Comedy Festival, an excellent modern theatre, some of the best Indian restaurants in the country, great bars, great shopping and as one of the oldest cities in England it still retains a lot of history (despite your constant droning about "visits t'in-laws").... the list goes on..
So let the wacko's carry on being wacko, but just let us and others who want to visit Leicester and who have an interest in the RIII story do so without the constant childish antics and histrionics. Leicester played a significant part in the RIII story, which no one can deny. It is now settled that his remains will stay in Leicester and Leicester can be rightly proud of this. But whatever you do, please don't think that RIII is all that Leicester is about, because it really isn't. If some people pulled their heads from up their own a**es- they may well be able to see that for themselves!
Still not got that keyboard fixed I see? There is a minority of "Campaigners"who are behaving like schoolkids- I suggest you have a look in the dictionary and check the meaning of "proportionate" or "reasonable" when reading some of the responses that are being propagated on the "Leicester Cabal" Facebook page or similar sites!! Mind you I wouldn't expect you to understand the meaning of reasonable or proportionate given your history on this thread! ;-)
Why are you even reading such 'sites' if, as you've confessed, you have no interest in those people's opinions?
The histrionics will carry on until the remains are interred and the tomb constructed etc.
At that point I think there will be a natural tail-off in the numbers of people involved in campaigning etc. They still won't agree with what has happened, but they'll be resigned to it, and give up.
There will still be a small core of people who will carry on, and demand a disinterment.... like the poor old demented woman who used to stand with a placard outside the site of the former Nelson Hotel in my hometown every Wednesday, protesting that it had been in demolished in 1970.
A travesty will always be a travesty no matter how much time passes by.
So you accept that such sites " display a disproportionate and unreasonable response" to the location of the reinterment of RIII.
Thanks for that:)
I should have added that the Nelson Hotel was a very ugly building thrown up in the 1930s by this woman's father. It was demolished to make way for the excavation and subsequent restoration of the medieval market area.
I also think people who think the reinterment is a travesty will still think that, only they'll realise moaning about it won't change anything, and the issue will gradually be forgotten about.
and the issue will gradually be forgotten about.'
How very sweet that you think that, Welsh Lad
Bless.
Ummm thanks
I hope you grasped my point though i.e. that a very entrenched hardcore will continue bleating, but the wider base of support (e.g. many members of the public, some of the actors and MPs the York folk got onside) will rapidly move on once the actual reinterment has happened.
It's still seen as a fight atm as the bones are still disinterred, though of course it's just a matter of time.
How brilliant would the blood-stained throne be as the entrance piece? Come on Leicester sort it out and get rid of those union jack wellies and get some proper Ricardian ones, white roses intertwined with sour grapes.
Most of the non-visitor reviews have been based on the photographs and PR that the centre has used for promotion over the last week. Why would they want to visit and pay for something that looks to be inaccurate, badly done, and disrespectful?
That doesn't sound like very many to me. If it averaged 500 all day, maybe a little more, then they're not doing very well. The numbers will only go down after the grand opening, so it could take a very long time to break even, if they ever do.
The school of thought is that someone misunderstood the old phrase 'white armour' meaning clean and polished, and actually painted it white.
The official line is that everything else in that part of the exhibit is white, so it was painted the same to fit with the 'clinical' look they wanted that room to have.
Silly thing to do, either way.
It's been reported that the blue stickers are to show where Richard was wounded - I've heard both explanations now, and still don't know which version they're supposed to represent.
There's a rumour going round that celebrities will be chanrged £2500 to attend the private reburial after the ceremony. I sincerely hope that it's not true, but if it is, the cathedral's claim to not be using him for profit will be proven to be another lie.
That's not a fair account of what's been happening - people have been expressing criticism on the centre's Facebook page, and basing their 'reviews' on the publicity material they've seen. The page which posted encouraging one star reviews has now removed the post, which was only made in frustration, and because of which didn't make it clear that the reviews were to be based on what had been seen in the press. Deliberate negative reviews are not supported by the campaigners, who were merely expressing their views on the content that has become public in the last week.
Negative reviews have also been posted on Trip Advisor, but as far as I know, those are all genuine. Only one has come from one of the campaigners, a lady who was actually there on opening day, and saw it for herself. Another Facebook page has been encouraging visitors to give five star reviews on TA whether they liked it or not, which is no better than people deliberately giving one star just to mark it down. Either way, those would both be false reviews.
Whether the centre is genuinely worth visiting, will become apparant in time, by whether it's successful or not.
The projection of his skeleton in his grave, and the copy of his skeleton on the 'scanner' table, both put him on display without using his actual remains. These things are no more tasteful or respectful, and a lot of people are finding them upsetting.
Then there's no problem with the backlash, is there? If people will come to visit anyway.
The council will be concerned by negative reviews, they'll put off potential visitors, and the centre won't profit.
Most Ricardians won't be joining you. There's a lot going on that you don't know about, so don't be too sure he'll be buried there just yet.
No, the histrionics as you phrase it, won't stop until he's back in York, no matter how long that takes.
Campaign numbers are still growing steadily.
More than just the York MP's now - a number of others, and a number of members of the House of Lords.
The Telegraph:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturenews/10997990/Richard-III-model-looks-like-a-storm-trooper-say-experts.html
The Daily Mail:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2709892/In-museum-far-far-away-Anger-reconstruction-Richard-III-s-armour-looks-like-STAR-WARS-stormtrooper.html
The Express:
http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/493388/Richard-III-exhibit-Star-Wars-stormtrooper
I agree with your remarks about the online reviews being based upon the extensive visual coverage the visitor centre has had .e.g. you don't need to have visited to disapprove of the frankly ludicious 'projection' of the bones into the grave pit. I thought it seemed like the best part of the exhibition at first, a stone 'chapel', a quasi-sacred space where visitors could contemplate the grave site, and yet they ruin it by having a flashing image more akin to an amusement park. I can imagine kids sprawled over the glass floor, squealing and pointing. It's all rather grotesque.
Of course the main reason for the visitor centre is to make money out of Kerching Richard so any thoughts of decency will inevitably be put on the back-burner. As one Leicester resident said on the Mercury website:
I know people who have looked at the photos and info on the visitor centre and, without any prompting from me, declared that it looked tacky and not worth visiting.
As for the rumour that people will be charged to attend the actual reburial...I'd love to know whether that's true or not. It wouldn't surprise me at all, tbh. The 'cathedral' will be as hopeful of making money out of £ichard III just as much as the city council.
What strikes me most forcefully is the impression I get that most of those in favour of a Leicester reburial have no feeling for the king at all. To the univeristy he's just a collection of old bones, an archaeological curio, shoved in a box with a broken kettle on top.
No-one with any feeling for the king would support a re-enactment of the journey his body made from Bosworth to Leicester. No-one with any feeling for the king would support a reburial in Leicester at all when there are vastly more fitting locations. I appreciate the argument that Leicester is part of the historical story, the place where he stayed before Bosworth and returned after defeat.
But the dry academia of the history books is something quite distinct from viewing Richard III in his own right as a former king and human being. As a former King of England he should've been reburied at Westminster Abbey. As the long-serving Lord of the North under Edward IV, with such strong connections with Northern England, he should've been reburied at York, the former capital city of his domain.
I'll be following the future of the visitor centre very closely but I'm already prepared to crow from the rafters when it runs into financial difficulties and has to shut. Leicester isn't exactly on the list of tourist's itinerary. A crappy, expensive visitor centre and a nasty tomb in a squalid parish church are hardly going to change that.
Sorry, but that armour just makes me laugh every time I see it!
And it's quite explicitly labelled as 'Richard's Armour'. I wonder why they didn't try to scrounge some loans from the Royal Armoury to put on display?? There are no authentic weapons or artifacts to be seen.
It seems as though from what visitors have been saying, the promotional photographs show us almost everything in there, so there's nothing people haven't already seen when they visit. And there's not very much in the photographs.
The admin of the Facebook page that made the post about the one star reviews, has seen the centre, and she says that it was awful, mostly empty space. The only thing she was even vaguely positive about was the baked potato she had in the cafe.
Leicester did no such thing. No-one there was remotely interested in the whereabouts of the remains until Philippa Langley came along and practically begged the university to do a dig.
As I've said before, unless you're a Ricardian you wouldn't understand the affinity people feel towards the former king. That's what it's about. It's nothing to do with money, or York or Leicester or Westminster Abbey. It's about doing the right thing for Richard III. And no-one with any affinity for the king will ever believe that 'doing the right thing' equates to a Leicester reburial.
And they need to do something about the crown. It looks like something they've bought off the web from Kate Middleton's parents. It's only slightly more convincing than the tat the Ricardians are trying to get buried with him.
So you don't count yourself as a Ricardian then. What exactly is your interest in the kerching?
You say Richard would have wanted to be reinterred in York Minster but I'm sure if he knew the preparations underway to convert Leicester Cathedral into his personal shrine almost he would be very pleased.
It's clear the only ones with money on their minds are York. I've been visiting that beautiful city every year for the past 15 years and it wasn't until a couple of years ago that I became of how important it was supposed to have been for him. There was the crappy little "museum" in the Monkbar and that was it. I found out recently there is a stained glass window in the Minster too. However this year we now have the "Richard III Experience" and also the Micklegate museum about Henry VII. Both are still pretty poor by the way.