A Journey Through History At Museum Of London

Ever wondered what London was like before it was inhabited by millions of people? Before it even became Londonium under the Romans? When elephants, lions and rhinos were some of the wild animals which would roam the lands?  Well, all was revealed to me when I took a a trip to the Museum of London where I was taken on a journey through the capital’s history and many manifestations.

Located in the heart of the city just up from St Paul’s cathedral, the building itself isn’t much to look at but once inside it is filled with fascinating exhibits.

The nearest tube is Barbican but I walked up from Blackfriars station (which has step-free access for the buggy). It was a sunny day so I enjoyed taking in some of the sights of the city and the London buzz.

Of course, by the time we had reached the museum Mrs T had fallen asleep  in her buggy so I ditched my initial idea of doing the children’s activity trail. The Museum of London is free but it’s £1 for the activity trail booklet. I had a flick through but think it would have been a bit old for Mrs T, who is three.

The website says there are free children’s packs for ages 4-11 available to borrow. For children over 5,  you can download your own activity sheets before you go from the website.

Without a three year old running around next to me, it was quite a treat to be able to take in – and read – many of the exhibits – which is a rare thing these days.

The museum is designed in chronological order starting in the ‘London before London’ section – which takes you back 450,000 years to early man and when wild animals roamed through the Thames Valley. There’s an impressive skull of a now extinct wild ox, a rhino tooth and the remains of a neandathal woman who lived in the Shepparton area 50,000 years ago. There are also lots of early weapons and other artefacts from the bronze and iron ages. I found it fascinating trying to imagine London as just fields and a river and very few people living there.

My journey was then taken into Roman London. After invading Britain in 54BC, the Romans built the city where London now stands, calling it Londinium, and constructing roads which connected the city with the rest of the country. The section had Roman coins, ceramics and even a leather bikini as well as these white marble sculptures from the Temple of Mithras, which was discovered under the City of London in 1954.

Then it was onto Medieval London, the Tudors, the plague and the Great Fire of London which started on pudding lane in 1666. I learnt that the fire created the concept of home insurance in the 1700s. Afterwards, each house had to display an insurance mark on the front of their homes. The fire meant London was almost completely rebuilt and homes were no longer allowed to be wooden but faced in brick. Perhaps the fire did the city a bit of a favour and helped to create a more hygienic, regulated city with richer architecture. What do you think? Back then there was also no fire brigade – London’s service was only created in 1865. The museum had a fire hat, bucket and hose which, if Mrs T had been awake, would have enjoyed playing with.

I then moved onto a more ‘modern’ London under the Victorians where I could wander through a parade of shops, learn about the suffragettes and there was an exhibit about Vauxhall pleasure gardens – I had no idea that it was THE place to go back then for public entertainment.

I got as far as the 1920s when Mrs T awoke from her slumber. We enjoyed checking out vintage cars and costumes from the swinging sixities as well as the Lord Mayor’s coach – which is 250 years old.

But Mrs T seemed strangely fascinated by an exhibit on ‘Tattoo London’ and a film shown on a big screen of people getting tattooed or ‘painted’ as I explained to Mrs T thankful that we were right next to the cafe.

I distracted her thoughts with a hot chocolate and (rather rich) chocolate Rice Krispie cake. She seemed pretty happy.

Before we left, there was last room to visit…that holding the Olympic Cauldron, used at the opening and closing ceremonies of London 2012. It was an impressive structure and interesting to see how Thomas Heatherwick’s design, which comprises of 204 copper stems, came to fruition. The stems move up and down and the movement was adjusted to fit in with the music used in the ceremonies for the Olympic and Paralympic games. Pretty impressive stuff.

It was soon time to leave. I was meeting a friend in London Bridge so we had a wander through the city, soaking in the atmosphere as everybody went about their working day. I pointed out St Paul’s Cathedral expecting an impressive response from the ladyship in the buggy. I was disappointed when I was met with a flat “that’s boring”.

She perked up far more at the view over London Bridge and then something caught her eye.

“Look, that tower is going right up into the sky, ” she said excitedly.

It was the Shard.

Historical London: Nil.

Modern London: One.

Perhaps it was just as well she missed out on the journey through London’s history at the Museum of London. 

Verdict

I left feeling far more educated about my home city and really enjoyed the historical journey it took me on. It was good that Mrs T slept for much of it, otherwise it would have been a far shorter visit. There were certainly aspects which she would have enjoyed but at three years old she would have been too young to appreciate the activity trails.

Extra Info

• The Museum of London is FREE and open Mon-Sun: 10am – 6pm
• If you are going with children, it’s worth printing off the activity sheets beforehand
• It is currently running the popular paid exhibition The Crime Museum (it is advisable to book at the weekend)
• The museum is relatively small and easy to navigate so no need to buy a map (£1)
• There are a number of free gallery tours you can take at designated times (they are listed on a big screen as you walk in)

If you found his article useful, you an download it – along with other London guides – at GPSmyCity

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