My Latest Project....Museum Gordon. World Social History

[BENIDORM]

I've been and gone and done it .!

What have you done now Gordon ?...I hear you say...

Well.....
I've converted my Bunker into a Museum...

Blimey Gordon ...What next...I hear you mutter

It's something that I've wanted to do since the beginning of time, my time that is...

As some of you may know I really love anything to do with history and I've been collecting just about everything since I was at least age 5.
My exhibits are a very eclectic assortment of world social history and war items, natural history etc. circa ..possibly millions of years ago up to the 1980's..
And to give you an idea my exhibits include clothing reputed to have belonged to the famous Bronte family, personal items from a famous Norwegian actress who was also a double agent ( spy ) during World War 2, and items from a famous First World War submarine commander.

So Folks what do you think ?
Am I crazy to start something like this at my age.?..
Do you think that anyone will be interested ?
I do value your opinions and advice.

Museo Gordon will be open from February 25th, which happens to be also my 76th birthday...
It will be open daily for a week from 12 noon til 8pm,from the 25th and then after Thursday to Sunday ,12 noon til 3pm, or by appointment.

No Entry charge...Gratis...It's just my hobby and I would like to encourage everyone, all ages, to enjoy history and maybe start a new pastime,ie collecting ....

Museo Gordon is situated in Salar, Granada Province, just 5 minutes from the City of Loja on the A92 Granada to Seville highway.
The address is Calle La Parata, 1,Salar,18310.

Salar has a great newly discovered Roman Villa also an interpretation centre with displays of artifacts from the Villa, situated in the Town Hall, another Museum which is a pueblo house as was..many years ago, an Arab watch tower and Palace which is currently being restored, a wonderful church and great walks around the village.

Everything on display has a story, and if anyone is interested, I will start to write about the stories beginning with the 'Bronte' items , in a few days.
May I wish everyone a very pleasant weekend.
Saludos,
Gordon.

[chrissiehope]

Having seen your collection, I think it's a great idea It's fascinating to wander round - go for it Gordon !!

[BENIDORM]

Thank you Chrissie, and I remember how interested you were when you browsed the displays.

I've altered it all quite a bit now with about 30 glass cabinets and numerous displays all now very secure and alarmed, I'm just waiting to have some new lighting installed.
Many of the new exhibits have been packed away in storage for many years, it was like Christmas for me unpacking them.
I'm rather amazed that I can remember every item, where it came from etc.....but I have difficulty in remembering what I had for breakfast ...

How are you getting with your little projects ?

Saludos,
Gordon.

[chrissiehope]

I'll email you - don't mwant to bore the members

[Lavanda]

Congratulations, Gordon. That sounds an amazing thing to have done and I am sure your Museo will get many interested visitors. It will be on my list on my next trip south. Also, happy birthday for the 25th February and I wish you all the usual things — plus cake.

[olive]

Sounds really interesting. I will be an early visitor before the inevitable timed tickets, one way systems, expensive car parking and shuttle buses. I hope the local cafe has a good supply of tostados ready.

The area has some interesting things to do over and above the Roman villa. The nearby town of Loja has some decent restaurants like ABQ, Atracon , Cilantro and Flati. There is a motorway services by the Abades group which is a good clean spot to freshen up before going on to Salar five minutes away. Abades group is HQ’d in Loja and have just completely revamped one of their hotels in the town. It is up on the old ring road near the Guardia Civil and looks out and down over the town. It also has a Japanese restaurant ( Mokuren) which we haven’t tried yet. Locals say it is “ expensive”. Probably Malaga prices!

Might help anyone coming a distance.

[BENIDORM]

Lavanda,
Thank you for your support, Much Appreciated.

It has been much more difficult to put the museum together than I expected,I thought it would be a 'doddle' , it wasn't and still loads to do, but I've enjoyed the challenge.
I've really had to tackle the project on my own , Pauline wasn't interested at all, but I'm pleased to report that she is now my right hand woman and getting more involved by the day, which is very important to me, as she has been going through a difficult time lately.
We hope to see you when you visit our area...
Saludos,
Gordon, ..Museum Curator

[BENIDORM]

Olive,
Thank you for your input and advice about the area.

Salar is certainly emerging from the shadows with what it has to offer and with so many great historic attractions in the area I would recommend it as a worthy stop for at least a couple of days.
Loja for instance has many worthy places to visit and and just a short distance away places like Iznajar are well worth a visit.
When I'm more organised I will try to promote the interesting places nearby and Olive I'm hoping that you will continue with your great advice about what to do when visiting this area...
Hope to see you soon...
Saludos,
Gordon...

[BENIDORM]

Well,
We got the Museum open on time, hopefully the people who've visited so far have enjoyed the experience.
We've had 3 couples from A.Com , one of the couples had travelled from the coast the others more local,
but all really nice friendly people who seemed to appreciate the effort that has been put in to create the little museum.
So I hope that they keep visiting and I will be adding more and more interesting items when I can,and it was really good to be able to chat about the places that we've lived in with one lovely couple..
It was nice to be able to speak in English , it's a bit of a nightmare for me conversing with Spanish people with very strong dialects though..
I've tried to make the exhibits easy to understand and I was surprised how 'clued up' many of the visitors have been,great meeting people who share similar interests..!

We look forward to meeting more of you when you can find the time to visit Salar.

Saludos,
Gordon.

[Lavanda]

It all sounds exciting.

[BENIDORM]

Lavanda, Thank you, certainly exciting for me but I don't know about anyone else ....

It's been very entertaining and enlightening watching the reactions of the visitors and what interests them most, and I was surprised that many of the Spanish people have told me that they've never visited a museum before, and a few of the older people can hardly read or write...Blimey..
So now each day I keep adding a few new exhibits , time consuming work...but I love it...
Saludos,
Gordon...

[BENIDORM]

I'm pleased to say that the response to our little museum has been better than I expected with not only local people visiting, and a good number also from other areas.
The first week has been quite gruelling for us, 8 days open for 8 hours daily, so now a little rest..

We reopen on the 10th March and will open Thursday,Friday,Saturday and Sunday from 11am until 2pm,daily, each week,and we can also open other days and times by appointment.

During our first week we had a donation box available for anyone who wanted to support the local Help for Abandoned Cats and Dogs and we raised 125 euros for them.
The locals who help the animals are mainly young Spanish people who are prepared to travel quite long distances to help animals in distress and re-home them , really nice to see the raised awareness now.

I do hope to meet and greet more members from A.Com who wish to visit Salar and the Roman Villa complex and other attractions, including our little museum.
Take Care Everyone,
Saludos,
Gordon & Pauline

[olive]

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit. Most interesting.

I can imagine you are exhausted. Time for both of you to recharge your batteries!

[Wicksey]

Well done Gordon. Sounds like it's going well, and raising money for good causes too!

[BENIDORM]

Thank you Olive, and glad to hear that you enjoyed your visit to our little museum.

Both you and Mrs Olive are most welcome to call anytime and I'm adding different items daily..

Saludos,
Gordon & Pauline.

[BENIDORM]

Many Thanks Wicksey and maybe someday we might see you in Salar...?

Saludos,
Gordon & Pauline.

[Wicksey]

You never know Gordon ......

[BENIDORM]

We've had quite a few people asking about the museum and want to know what type of exhibits do we have.Blimey.

That is quite difficult to answer because although I would say that it represents a wide range of Social History items and artefacts it really is a very eclectic exhibition , history to me is about everything and I've collected just about everything.
For instance this morning I've added a Soviet Makarov pistol holster, Cold War era, and an American True Western cowboy shirt and some Roman coins....
And in the collection there are spent bullets from the First World War Somme battlefields, and a pair of long lace edged Victorian knickers ( Passion Killers ) and numerous Dirndl Bavarian dresses,different clothing and accessories from all eras, Tramp art, etc.etc.

Can anyone help me to describe my museum, in English and Spanish, I would appreciate any help..

We are now open each week Thursday to Sunday from 11am to 2pm, but can open other times to suit and we are happy to have groups/ school parties etc.
One lady asked me if she could bring her little dog in, and I replied ..'Well behaved humans accompanied by a responsible dog are welcome', I don't think she really understood me..
Saludos,
Gordon..

[chrissiehope]

I have an unusual hat - I will email you !

[olive]

How about Museum Benidormialia? Only works for A.com audience.

Museum of social history might be more appropriate