Vacuum Cleaners Discussions

Following is a link to an article about Britain's first vacuum cleaner museum.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/nottingham/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_8501000/8501047.stm

Venson

How fascinating Venson! Thanks for posting that!

The pictures really don't do it justice, I've seen some of Mr. Brown's collection on another site and he has some AMAZING examples of early C and R-series Kirbys.  Why they are not shown here is beyond me.

Interesting how Britain's first vacuum cleaner museum comes only ~6 months after the Tacony Museum opened here, perhaps they looked at that one as a model and realized the potential for success?  I wonder if you can demonstrate those there as well, like you can with all 500+ cleaners here in several different rooms, each with several different piles of carpet.  Probably the only place where you can vacuum up Rice Krispies off of a vintage oriental rug with the 1914 Hoover Old Style Special.

The pictures really don't do it justice, I've seen some of Mr. Brown's collection on another site and he has some AMAZING examples of early C and R-series Kirbys.  Why they are not shown here is beyond me.

Interesting how Britain's first vacuum cleaner museum comes only ~6 months after the Tacony Museum opened here, perhaps they looked at that one as a model and realized the potential for success?  I wonder if you can demonstrate those there as well, like you can with all 500+ cleaners here in several different rooms, each with several different piles of carpet.  Probably the only place where you can vacuum up Rice Krispies off of a vintage oriental rug with the 1914 Hoover Old Style Special.

Hello Venson:

Verrry interesting, thanks for posting.  The UK funded this vacuum museum thru a gov't grant.  By comparison, the Smithsonian in Washington DC has fallen on such hard times it says 'no' to any additions of old vacuum products to its museums, despite their condition.  Of note too, the young curator/caretaker of these UK/American vacuum treasures also repairs vacuums according to the store front sign.  Nice to do the thing you love and have the gov't spring for a part of the cost.  Win-win situation.  Tho, with the hardtimes even bankruptcy befalling some countries in the EU today with more to come no doubt, I suspect all future UK vacuum grants will be few and far between.  The curator/caretaker's timing for the grant was impeccable, to his credit. 

Carmine D.