One of the purposes of this site is to draw attention to those institutions which often get overlooked. That's certainly the case with The Museum of London. A non-scientific straw-poll amongst friends who live in London, revealed that none had actually visited it and no-one was able to say where it was - other than "in the City somewhere, north maybe..."

The Museum of London documents the history of London from the Prehistoric to the present day. It is a few minutes walk from St. Paul's Cathedral, overlooking the remains of the Roman city wall and on the borders of the City, (the financial district). It's primarily concerned with the social history of London and its inhabitants.

The Museum of London was opened in 1976 as part of the Barbican Estate, utilising collections previously held by the Corporation at the Guildhall and also items from other collections, including the London Museum which was located in Kensington Palace. The architects were Philip Powell and Hidalgo Moya, who adopted an innovative approach to museum design, whereby the galleries were laid out so that there was only one route through the museum - from the prehistoric period to the modern galleries. {Not strictly true, I managed to discover the wrong route round the museum}.

These chronological galleries contain original artefacts, models, pictures and diagrams, with a strong emphasis on archaeological discoveries, buildings within the city, urban development and interactive displays and activities - aimed at all age groups. The museum has just completed major redevelopment, work which has seen the majority of it closed for several years. The prehistoric gallery, "London Before London" and the "Medieval London" gallery have aso been updated, and in 2007 an exhibition about the "Great Fire of London" opened.

Star exhibits include the Lord Mayor of the City of London's state coach and a reconstruction of a street from Victorian London. If you're interested in London's history then the book "London" by Peter Ackroyd, comes highly recommended (as do his numerous other works of fiction, which are largely set in London - Hawksmoor, Chatterton, The House of Doctor Dee, Dan Leno and the Limehouse Golem, etc.). He's an author who believes strongly that echoes of significant events remain in historical locations. The Museum of London provides the most significant archaeological evidence about the city available in the capital. If you're a London-phile, there's much interesting evidence to be found here.

My favourite parts, were the section about Roman life in Britain, with reconstructed rooms, kitchens, etc. - supported by hundreds of examples of artisan tools and utensils. It's much easier to imagine the life of a Roman in Britain with these visual aids. Ordinarily, I struggle with the idea of people wandering these damp, chilly shores dressed in a toga with open sandals - but apparently under-floor heating was very popular in Roman Britain. The other favourite gallery, is the prehistoric evidence of life - tools and animal bones from hundreds of thousands of years ago, found on the banks of the Thames. Indicating that there's always been continuous settlement in these parts.

 

Admission is free.

 

Museum of London, London Wall, London EC2Y 5HN

Barbican, St. Paul's or Moorgate Tube.

Call:    020 7001 9844

Postman's Park - is very nearby - across the road.

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