ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the case studies of three embedded or nested museums in the UK: the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in the University of Cambridge; the Stained Glass Museum in Ely Cathedral; and the Hunterian Museum in the Royal College of Surgeons. The position of the threshold of the museum in relation to other thresholds, the galleries, and any enveloping institutions will have an impact on the sequential experience of users and ultimately the meaning(s) of the museum. The chapter also focuses on two chief theoretical assumptions. First, that the entrance is an important element in the presentation and structure of meaning. Second, that the spaces at these sites can be analysed with special attention to social relationships. Before 2012, the only way for a member of the public to get to the museum was through an entrance shared with the rest of the department, accessible through the Downing Site.
