We continue to act on feedback we get from visitors via our Comment Board and visitor surveys. It is useful for us to know if there is anything that is missing from the museum or that could enhance your visit. That way, we can work to improve our visitors’ experience.
Here are a few comments that we have received, and what we have been doing to change things:
“Very much enjoyed the guided tour- excellent! Suggestion could you provide a water fountain for drinks.”
We have installed a water fountain near the entrance to the bathrooms. There are reusable cups or you can fill up your water bottles. Just no cups in the gallery please!
“My only complaint would be that the overlapping video sound tracks made it hard to concentrate”
We have taken the decision to turn off the audio that accompanies the timeline. If you would like to hear it, you are welcome to ask our staff on the front desk to turn it on. Now that the sound is absent, we have added a sign that lets visitors know each video is 3.5 minutes in length. They can also be viewed here, here, here and here (!) on our YouTube channel. Please note that there are several smaller videos around the gallery that do not have their audio muted and will be playing as normal.
“A bit more info about St John himself”
We have recently acquired a limestone statue of St John the Baptist which can be seen in the case directly in front of the museum entrance by the timeline. There is information regarding his link with the Order on the label that accompanies the statue. Thanks to members of the Priory of the USA of the Order of St John Palm Beach Region for their help in acquiring the statue.
“It would be nice to get into the crypt every day the museum is open.”
Unfortunately, it is currently not possible for us to keep the crypt open every day. However, we recently introduced a brief tour of the church and crypt on a Thursday lunchtime at 12:30 as we are aware that there is great demand to have a look at this special historic space. In addition, if you contact us in advance of your visit it is possible to arrange a brief tour to see the church and crypt if staff are available at a time that better suits you. Our regular guided tours on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 11am and 2.30pm also visit the crypt.
“Benches so one can view comfortably”
We have worked to resolve our seating issues this year. We have increased the number of foldable stools available in the galleries and have placed them in more prominent positions so that visitors are more likely to spot them. New chairs were added to our learning table. When we do not have a temporary exhibition running, a long wooden bench is also placed in the gallery.
Beyond acting on specific visitor comments, the museum team are constantly working to find ways to improve the galleries for our visitors.
We have recently developed our accessibility guide which can be found here.
In addition to this, a visual story has been developed for visitors with autism, or those who would like to know what to expect when they visit the museum.
We have also created a new I-Spy trail for the galleries for children who may feel like they are too grown-up for one of our other kids’ trails. They can be found in the museum reception or in the family activity buckets.
Finally, all our public events can now be booked via our Eventbrite page, making it easier to book tickets. Please note that our public tours are still operating on a first come first served basis. We have introduced reservations tokens so that you can go away and come back before the tour and still save your spot.