The past is reinterpreted by each generation, who construct history according to the values and perspectives of their time. It is therefore inevitable that there is no single history, however, despite the range
of subject areas within the twelve case studies, two dominant themes dj.c emerge: the presentation oi history on a personal human scale and a fascination with the ordinary and the mundane.
Although Benningborough Hail adapts primarily an object centred interpretation oi the 18th century, space was also found to tell the stories of the two families who lived there, the Bouchiers and the
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Chesterfields. The National Trust is often accused of only portraying the lives of the rich and famous (Hewison 1987) and so it is interesting to note that its 1992 promotional leaflet invites the visitor to
"imagine the 18th century ritual of the State bedroom and the drudgery of a Victorian laundry". A potting shed has also been carefully restored enabling Benningborough to sell itself not on its fine decorative arts but on the human dimension.
The history of the 17th century Batt family who lived in Oakwell is told in interpretative panels and publications, but their story is not
primary, nor are the objects in the house, rather the details of
everyday living remain the core of the interpretative message. Beamish and Jorvik also concentrate on interpretating the way ordinary people lived and worked. At N. F.H.C the visitor is promised an exhibition
"based on real people, genuine exhibits and historical facts" and indeed much of the interpretation occurs through first hand accounts of the trawling industry (4).
At Virksworth Heritage Centre the life of a quarryman is told through tne recorded reminisenc^of Jack Doxey telling his grandson, Mark, about
life in a small Quarry man's house place. Virksworth's lead mining history is personified through the eighteenth century miner Daniel Wilson who is represented by a large cardboard cut out alongside his wife and other officials of the mine aad*who tell their story. Daniel's wife Sarah comments;
"Jest enough ter git by I'd say. Owd man's dowt mine, while little uns clean, crush and bundle ore. So much is tecken from us in dues it dus na give ye much 'eart te carry on."
The N.L.H. M. was established to tell the story of how ordinary men and women have fought for better working and living conditions. The plans for the new Pump House site is to make that story less about the leaders of those campaign and more about the ordinary people that become
involved. At Tolson the focus is on the story of the people of
Huddersfield as they appear in the archaeology, transport and textile stories. Kelham too celebrates not just the inventors of.new technology but the skills oi the men and women who helped built Sheffield's
industrial strength. A publicity leaflet reads:
"People of the past have created today's society. Most of them-are individually forgotten, but their legacy can't be ignored."
At Eyedale Folk Museum and Automobila the emphasis is less on
reconstructing the lived experience of people through history, but on the admiration of the simplest abject as symbols of the craftmanship and skills of earlier generations and as signifiers of past domesticity. Indeed in many of the museums visited^ it was the everyday mundane items that were accorded importance over the ornate and exotic, for the clues they provided about lives of people in the past.
MESSAGES
Historical exhibitions and displays are created to impart information about the past and will therefore inherently contain various messages in their interpretations. By the very nature of the institution museums propound a dominantly conservation message through explaining the
significance and importance of their collections. There are, however, a whole series of other overlapping messages and values which can be found in exhibitions and displays. Some are deliberately overt. At the N. F.H.C which in its desire to explain the dangerous nature of trawling,
bombards visitors with information of the high instances of injury and fatalities. Jorvik and AFC are both designed to popularise
archaeology and assert its importance, by making it fun and accessible whilst underlining archaeology's scientific credentials.
Other museums seek to impress upon visitors the skills and craftmanship of previous generations. At Benningborough visitors wander through the 18th century roams admiring the works of art and an exhibition in the attic, learnj^more about the artists and their patrons. The dominant theme inherent in the architectural history as interpreted at Roche Abbey is to stress both the beauty and importance of the ruins and the part played by the Cistercian monks whose faith, dedication and
commitment caused its building.
A sense of place and roots are important to communities and regions and museums like Beamish and Tolson, in different ways, present
interpretations of the past which enforce the strong identity and traditions of their regions. Beamish is also keen to show its visitors
how similiar but different 1913 is fr o m the present, by challenging liberal progressives and nGstalgics alike. Conversely Automobilia deliberately seeks to evoke nostaglia for the 'good old days'.
Virksworth Heritage Centre was originally conceived as part of the town's regeneration strategy and its entire interpretation is intended to make visitors feel they have visited some-where special with its own unique identity. Civic pride infuses much of Kelham's display which concentrates on the skills and innovation of Sheffield people.
However, many of the messages contained within interpretations in
museums are less overt, even unconscious. The carefully landscaped lawns with their maypole, gypsy caravan, village stocks and surrounding
thatched cottages at the Ryedale Folk Museum could be hinting at a more simple and idyllic past, where people unquestioningly knew their place in society. The representation of women in domestic roles at Jorvik could be seen to be saying something about the role of women in history. The complete absence of black faces in museums could be read as meaning that ethnic groups have no rightful place in Britain's heritage. The construction of history in museums is a complex process and in addition to its key storyline each interpretation will inevitably contain
subsidiary messages, many of which will be subliminal, but which nevertheless will influence the way visitors to museums come to understand and value their selective tradition.