Museum. It opened in 1991 and, though it underwent a refit halfway through its life, it still did not prove a success and closed in 1999. It included a Blitz Experience (an audio-visual street scene of World War II). Only a small portion of the actual archaeology was on display, the attraction instead being reliant on dioramas and audio-visual displays. Even after one redesign, it did not prove a success and has now been closed and its building converted into the Dover Library and Discovery Centre. That portion of the archaeology can still be viewed, but only by request from the library staff. Many of the dioramas and reconstruction figures have been reused in Dover Museum. The White Cliffs Experience was closed in 1999 for a combination of reasons; the Labour opposition group on Dover District Council had always been against the WCE, labelling it 'The White Elephant Experience' and opposing the amount of money it took to run as well as complaining that it fell short of achieving the predicted 300,000 visitors a year. When they came to power in 1997, the new Labour council's policies for regenerating Dover relied on attracting industry and acting as an 'enabler' rather than a provider of heritage and tourism facilities. They withdrew much of the money previously paid to tourism initiatives. At the same time, the technology used to run the animatronics and shows (laser discs, carousel slide projectors and 35mm film projectors, etc.) had quickly dated and become obsolete, and by 1998 needed replacing. Various quotes were received to update the WCE but were beyond what the Council were prepared to pay, so they decided to cut their losses and close the Experience. See also Dubris for Ancient Roman remains References External links Dover Museum website Information from Culture24 History museums in Kent Museums in Dover District History of Dover, Kent Buildings and structures in Dover, Kent 1836 establishments in England Local museums in Kent Archaeological museums in England Museums established in 1836 Museums of ancient Rome in the United Kingdom