Science Museum plea to licensees

Morning Advertiser readers are being asked to help create a little history by sending their pre-smoking ban pub paraphernalia to London's Science Museum.

Licensees are being urged not to throw out pre-smoking ban signage, ashtrays and other obsolete objects by the museum's curator of community health Stewart Emmens.

I have been trying to collect everyday objects that instantly became much rarer when the ban came in​Science Museum's curator of community health, Stewart Emmens.

He told morningadvertiser.co.uk: "For the past few months I have been collecting objects that relate to the ban on smoking in public places that became law in England on July 1st. ​

"I have been trying to collect everyday objects that instantly became much rarer when the ban came in.

"Many of these objects I plan to add to the National Collections - to be held in perpetuity.

"Pubs have been a major focus of this collecting and I have acquired quite a number of items (particularly ashtrays) mainly by walking around London, literally going from door to door, in the days immediately before and after the ban started.

"One area in which I was particularly keen to acquire was old smoking related signage that was effectively made obsolete or even illegal after July 1st. I have had a few successes, but despite numerous appeals, phonecalls, e-mails etc this has been limited."

Anyone who has any signage or other objects can send them to Stewart EmmensCurator of Community HealthThe Science MuseumExhibition RoadLondon SW7 2DDtel: 020 7942 4215e-mail: stewart.emmens@sciencemuseum.org.uk