Is this Lottery waste?

[FredPuli43]

The Antiques Trade Gazette has reported that the Great Bed of Ware is to be loaned by the V and A to Ware Museum for a year. The Heritage Lottery Fund has awarded £229,200 to allow the bed to be displayed. That seems an extraordinary amount of money for what is an unnecessary exercise. The only reason given in the magazine is that the bed was made in Ware.
Seems to me to be a waste of money, but what do you think?

[redman41]

Agree FredPuli, a total waste of money.
Can they not make do with a Silent Night or Slumberland Bed instead ? :-))

[seadogg]

Don't the punters know that some of their money goes on things like this?

[Baldric]

Having googled it, yes, waste of money imo.

(a link would have been good as I'd never heard of it).

[rowanwitch]

Would be cheaper to build a permanent replica

[Zeuhl]

As mentioned in Shakespeare's Twelth Night

this from wiki:

<<The Great Bed of Ware is an extremely large oak four poster bed, carved with marquetry, that was originally housed in the White Hart Inn in Ware, England. Built by Hertfordshire carpenter Jonas Fosbrooke circa 1590, the bed measures ten by eleven feet and can "sleep" over fifteen people at once.>>

Perhaps Ware has some homeless people who could put it to good use at night time?

[Zeuhl]

Here's a link

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Bed_of_Ware

[jno]

I don't mind. The nation's cultural treasures do agglomerate in London, and I don't see why some choice pieces shouldn't be rotated around the country from time to time - especially in cases like this where something has strong local connections. London isn't the only place with history.

[Wharton]

Lottery = idiocy tax.

[emmie]

get tracy emin to donate her unmade one, mind that might be just as expensive.

[emmie]

when someone buys a painting for many millions i think that is a waste, but that is just because i think of all the good use it could be put to.

[dickythecook]

Cheers jno. Agglomerate is my new best word, I will spread it to the masses.

[New Judge]

Tax = a compulsory deduction or charge.

Lottery Ticket = non compulsory purchase.

[ludwig]

It would make more sense for it to be in Ware permanently.

[naomi24]

Fine, let them display it wherever they like, but do we know why it costs so much to move a bed and display it somewhere else?

[DTCwordfan]

because it's a bit of a sleeper, naomi.

[HowardKennitby]

^

Probably because someone else is paying.

[modeller]

Half the money you spend goes on so called good causes but they are often criticised as a waste of money . and after expenses are taken out only a fraction of your £s goes as prizes.

Would you spend more or less on lottery tickets if this was reversed and after expenses all the rest was paid out in prizes. ?

[ludwig]

// Fine, let them display it wherever they like, but do we know why it costs so much to move a bed and display it somewhere else? //

I suppose because it's old and valuable, so they need specialists to pack and transport it, and then there's insurance costs, and maybe they need to construct some special environment to display it at the other place, and they need to employ a project team of consultants to oversee the whole process. It's all ripe for cashing in on by somebody or other.