23 SEPTEMBER 1995, Page 31

Please note

Sir: Nigel Nicolson is very censorious about the display of antiquities in the Ashmolean Museum (Long life, 2 September). Had he read the numerous notices in the galleries and display cases and noticed the chaotic condition of the forecourt on his way in, he would have realised that the present clut- tered arrangement is entirely due to build- ing works. When these are finished at the end of the year, the previous display will be restored in a way that we would like to think might even have gained the approval of Max Beerbohm.

Christopher White

The University of Oxford, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford