Excellent exhibition of board games at The Base, Greenham

The Base, Greenham is making a name for itself for superb exhibitions. The recent “Wildlife Photographer of the Year” display was extremely popular. 

The latest exhibition, “Game Plan – Board Games Rediscovered” traces the history of board games from ancient games in Greece, Egypt, China and Persia to digital games in the present day – with all your family favourites in between.

Presented in collaboration with the Victoria and Albert museum, the exhibition has taken months to plan and there are some priceless artefacts on display. There is a “Senet” game, which is well over two thousand years, and an example of the oldest known board game.

I think everyone can find quite a few of their favourite games here. It is quite delightful. I particularly enjoyed seeing “Risk”. This involves aiming at world domination. For some reason it used to bring out the worst in me and my fellow family members could almost count down the seconds to the great occasion when I sent the board and its hundreds of pieces flying across the room while storming out.

The event offers special attractions for children. There are games and activities they can play. There is regular cleaning of the exhibits between visitor sessions.

“Game Plan – Board Games Rediscovered” is on at The Base Greenham until Sunday 5th September and is open Wednesday to Sunday 10am to 5pm (last entry 4:15pm). Tickets can be booked on the The Base Greenham website. There is a “Base Pass” available which allows unlimited access to the gallery for  12 months from £20.

The Base is on the Greenham Business Park. It has good parking beside it. A visit to The Base can be combined with a sit-down in the Honesty Cafe and, perhaps, a brisk walk  on the nearby Greenham and Crookham Commons.