Very sad to read this, I ahvent been to the Sm for years but it does perhaps reflect the neglect of our aviation history in this country. I live close to Farnborough where the excellent Farnborough Air Sciences Trust has its (too) small museum with some fascinating exhibits but it seemingly never has as much money or promotion as it should. Ina very small compound between the museum building and the road are among others A Lightning, Jaguar, Harrier, plus assorted helis a Trident nose and a target drone all looking -and I mean absolutely no disrespect tot he people who work their) pretty much ready for a firedump because their just isnt the room to properly display them.
it just seems part of the general air of neglect we have in the UK for some of the better aspects of our past and there is no doubt we were once a real superpower in this field and it deserves better. Needs space I know but I was pretty shocked to read about the indifference the main conserving authority? for this kind of thing shows towards it. After all in 100 years time when we have no industry of any kind what are we going to put in a museum of the early 21st Century ? Airbus bits, built in UK , but not UK owned , some RR bits and pieces , an Easy jet check in bag measurer, A Ryanair seat back , a poster from 2050 commemorating the tenth anniversary of the opening of R3 at LHR . Shame if todays efforts just all rotted away