Visited the revamped, small public museum of the Hospital on Newark St, in the former crypt of St Philips' church. Back in their Merrick display window is his original cap and mask, only recently put back on show after having a good replica stand in for it for several of the last ten years. The skeleton and casts of his body remain in the private medical college, where they have apparently always been. There were also many tissue specimens taken at the time of Merrick's death in 1890, but these were lost in the Blitz too. All the same, it was nice, after all these years of knowing of the museum, to see the display they have there, including the original of the only known surviving correspondence written by Merrick to the first of his visitors in his new home, and the church model he built. It's only a small display, not a lot to show really given Merrick's fame, and just like a lot of other more incidental British history imbuing various locations, there's a sense of the substance evaporating and only a kind of ghost-marker being left behind, but even behind several layers of glass, the sense of history was still powerful. Bought a few postcards and pamphlets - oh what it is to have someone running a shop in a place like this who knows and CARES about the subjects and can share some information! - and was amazed to find that they do not stock copies of David Lynch's 1980 film because of a bunfight with its (clearly determined to go broke AGAIN) UK distributors.
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