Twosugars
24-10-2019, 04:41 PM
A museum dedicated to vaginas has been granted an alcohol licence despite residents’ concerns it could attract rowdy stag and hen parties.
The Vagina Museum is due to open on 16 November at Camden Market in London, with the aim of increasing knowledge of “gynaecological anatomy and health”. It is the “world’s first bricks and mortar museum dedicated to vaginas”, according to its website.
While the museum has been widely supported, its application for an alcohol licence provoked warnings from local residents’ groups.
Patricia Thomas, who wrote to Camden council on behalf of the Harmood Clarence Hartland residents association, said the group was “particularly alarmed” by the idea of hen and stag parties visiting the museum.
She said: “We have no doubt that the museum will try to ensure that no inappropriate parties will be allowed, but stag parties are not known for their respectfulness and hen parties can also be raucous and difficult to control.
“If parties become rowdy, they will be removed by security and then end up on our streets, creating public nuisance.”
Kathryn Gemmell, the chairman of Tenants Residents Associations, Camden Town, added the group was concerned the museum was actively seeking to attract hen and stag nights.
Despite the concerns, the local authority’s licensing panel granted the museum an alcohol licence on Thursday.
In a statement, the museum’s director, Florence Schechter, said she was “honoured” by the decision. She added: “At the hearing we heard and engaged with residents’ concerns.”
The museum had initially sought permission to serve alcohol between 10am and 11.30pm Monday to Thursday and Sunday, and from 10am to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.
But it amended its application ahead of the meeting to between 6pm and 10.30pm Monday to Sunday, a Camden council spokesperson said. It was also granted a licence to show films.
The licensing panel added a condition that no more than 100 people could be admitted into the museum at any one time, the council spokesperson said.
The museum’s opening exhibition, Muff Busters: Vagina Myths and How to Fight Them, begins on 16 November.
The Guardian
The Vagina Museum is due to open on 16 November at Camden Market in London, with the aim of increasing knowledge of “gynaecological anatomy and health”. It is the “world’s first bricks and mortar museum dedicated to vaginas”, according to its website.
While the museum has been widely supported, its application for an alcohol licence provoked warnings from local residents’ groups.
Patricia Thomas, who wrote to Camden council on behalf of the Harmood Clarence Hartland residents association, said the group was “particularly alarmed” by the idea of hen and stag parties visiting the museum.
She said: “We have no doubt that the museum will try to ensure that no inappropriate parties will be allowed, but stag parties are not known for their respectfulness and hen parties can also be raucous and difficult to control.
“If parties become rowdy, they will be removed by security and then end up on our streets, creating public nuisance.”
Kathryn Gemmell, the chairman of Tenants Residents Associations, Camden Town, added the group was concerned the museum was actively seeking to attract hen and stag nights.
Despite the concerns, the local authority’s licensing panel granted the museum an alcohol licence on Thursday.
In a statement, the museum’s director, Florence Schechter, said she was “honoured” by the decision. She added: “At the hearing we heard and engaged with residents’ concerns.”
The museum had initially sought permission to serve alcohol between 10am and 11.30pm Monday to Thursday and Sunday, and from 10am to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.
But it amended its application ahead of the meeting to between 6pm and 10.30pm Monday to Sunday, a Camden council spokesperson said. It was also granted a licence to show films.
The licensing panel added a condition that no more than 100 people could be admitted into the museum at any one time, the council spokesperson said.
The museum’s opening exhibition, Muff Busters: Vagina Myths and How to Fight Them, begins on 16 November.
The Guardian