Friday, June 29, 2018

Museum of London

London The Unfinished City
Need any more be said?

Friday June 29, 2018.

The Unfinished City is home to hundreds of museums, the majority of which are free to enter. Currently my favourite museum is the Museum of London, which charts the history of our great city from prehistoric times right through to the present day. It is an absolute joy to explore and I always learn something new, from each visit.

Having said that, until recently I had never explored the entire museum. This was usually because of time constraints, or popping in for a quick exploratory, while waiting for the rain to alleviate.


Brief History

The Museum of London is, for a museum of this importance, fairly young, having opened in 1976. It brought together the collections of the London Museum, in Kensington, and the Guildhall Museum's collection.

The building which, houses the museum, is part of the Barbican Estate and is unique in that it has no street level access: The high walkways providing easy access, via stairs, escalators and lifts.

Another unique feature is the layout of the exhibition and gallery spaces, which follow a singular route, allowing visitors to see everything in chronological order. There is everything from fossils, neolithic weapons, artifacts from the river, a cell from Newgate prison, the London Stone, the cauldron (from the 2012 Olympics), a Victorian street scene, various vehicles and much more.

A wall of glass, in the fabric of the building, allows you to look down on Bastion 14  and part of the remains of the Roman Wall.

In 2021, the Museum of London is set to reopen in its new location of the General Market Building, Smithfield.

The Museum of London has a sister museum, based in Canary Wharf, known as Museum of London Docklands.

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