British Museum

The Great Court, Entrance Hall and Glass Roof.

Thursday October 31, 2019.

With school half-term upon us, we decided to take the girls on a trip to London, for a few days. 

Our first stop, after lunch, was the British Museum. It was a museum that I had never visited, but had always been on my list of places to visit. As Erin (7) was learning about the Egyptians, at school, it seemed like the perfect time to visit. 

We entered from the Montague Place entrance, and headed directly into the Wellcome Trust Gallery, which had a display of 'Living and Dying'. From here went to the North America and then the Mexico collection. 

From here we entered the Great Court, now enclosed in a wonderful glass roof, where stone artefacts from Egypt and China could be seen. A cafe and gift shop, surrounding the Reading Room, were busy with customers, so we continued into the Egyptian Room. Stone tablets, bearing hieroglyphs, adorned the walls, while stone statues stood in silent majesty, gazing back at the throng of visitors. Sculptures, temples, pillars as a Sarcophagus were also easily accessible.

We then headed to the Middle East, beginning with Assyrian sculptures and Balawat Gates, before travelling through Ancient Greece. From the Minoans and Mycenaeans to the Lycia. From Alexander the Great to the Romans. Vases, sculptures, Mausoleums, monuments and the Parthenon were all on show, in all of their awe-inspiring beauty. 

Back into the Great Court, we caught a lift to the third floor, where we crossed the bridge, from the Great Court Restaurant, and entered the Raymond and Beverly Sackler Galleries, which showcased more of the Middle East. From South Arabia to Anatolia and Uratu and on to Mesopotamia and Levant, there was a lot to take in.

Then we were on to the highlight, for us, of the visit. Ancient Egypt.

Sarcophagi, mummies, burial offerings and much more were all on show. This gallery reached, if not surpassed, my expectations. Erin was busy taking photos and was completely immersed in the experience, while Keilyn was happy to wander around and look at everything, with an innocents mind.

We then headed up to the Mitsubishi Corporation Galleries, where an amazing amount of Japanese culture was on display. The collection dated from around 13,500 Bc right up to the present day. From pots to figures of Buddhist deities. From Samurai armour and weapons to wooden models of animals. Chests and clothing led on to a collection from the indigenous people of Japan, the Ainu. Photography and glassware from the 20th century were also on display.

We then headed back downstairs and into the Sainsbury Galleries and its Africa exhibit. After a good look around at the various art, relics and weaponry, we were beginning to flag. But, with so much more still to see, we decided that we would return again, and so we made our way back to the Great Court and out of the museum. So we headed down Drury Lane, in search of coffee and ice cream, before continuing to our hotel and the adventure that we had planned for Halloween night.

Gallery

Foragers of the Foreshore Exhibition

A varied selection of Mudlarking finds, from the foreshore of the River Thames.

Sunday September 29, 2019.

It was a drizzly morning as Emma, Erin, Keilyn, my mum, uncle Martin and I headed off to London, via the Metropolitan line. Changing on to a Jubilee line train, at Finchley Road, we continued our journey to Waterloo. From here it was just a short walk to Oxo Tower Wharf, and the Bargehouse, where the Foragers of the Foreshore exhibition was being held.

The exhibition had been running since the 25th, so this was our last chance to see the largest display of mudlarking finds that had ever been displayed. There were also artists and photographers displaying their work, too, which all centred around mudlarking, mudlarks and the River Thames.

Spread across three floors of the Bargehouse there was much to see and discover. There were displays of coins, medieval jewellery, pottery, keys, skulls, bones, trading tokens, weapons and so much more. These ranged from the Neolithic period, the Roman occupation and on through the centuries to the present day.

There were short videos and talks, where experts shared their knowledge and experiences, often talking about their favourite finds and those items they hoped to find one day.

Mudlarks were everywhere, with their finds on display, explaining how they got into the 'art' of mudlarking and scouring the River Thames foreshore,

Artist Ashleigh Fisk had an art installation, on one of the floors, which comprised of ceramic aretacts and finds from the foreshore, telling the story of Genius Loci of the Thames.

Hannah Smiles was on hand, taking photographs and displaying some of her favourite prints, many of which were of Mudlarks or the River Thames and its foreshore, along with some of her finds.

Adorning some of the walls were photographic portraits by the photographer Julia Fullerton-Batten, which captured the foreshore in all of its glory.

There were also artists on hand, one of whom, Nicola White, had created a piece from plastics that had been found floating in the river, While another, Ed Bucknall, had created paintings on pieces of marble, found along the foreshore.

There were many more experts, artists, photographers and Mudlarks who were easy to talk to and to ask questions of, all of which they were happy to answer.

There was an interactive area where children could make an 'artefact' from plasticine, which could then be hung, with clear nylon, in a perspex box. This simulated items being held in suspension  of the water of the River Thames.

There was also a virtual reality mudlarking box, that you placed your hand beneath. The screen then showed a hand shifting stones and such. When you were ready you 'picked up' an item and it appeared in your hand on the screen. Withdrawing your and you were given a badge, with whichever item you had discovered on it, which you took to one of the displays and the experts would tell you all they could about the item.

All-in-all it was a thoroughly informative and educational day, where much was learnt and discovered by all of us.

Gallery

Society of Thames Mudlarks and Antiquarians

'The Mayflower'

The Historic Mayflower.

It was a wonderfully warm Saturday afternoon as I, and my work colleagues, Gary and Steve, entered the historic 16th Century Mayflower pub, in Rotherhithe Village. Having heard so much about this place, it was about time that I visited it. And, I can tell you, it was not a disappointment.

Wooden beams and a small wooden bar, with various artefacts, which included books, models, flags, drawings and paintings and so much more, really gave the place a feeling of history.

Behind the bar of The Mayflower.

The covered seating area, which was built on decking, stretched out over the River Thames, giving a wonderful view across the river to Wapping. You could see from the Thames River Police Museum, in the northeast to almost the Prospect of Whitby. Behind the old converted warehouses, you can make out the Walkie-talkie, the Cheesegrater and the Gherkin.

View From The Shard

The View from The Shard.

Saturday, August 10, 2019.

It was a perfect Saturday morning as my wife and I made our way to The Unfinished City. 

Our first stop was Borough Market, as usual, for a look around and to find something to eat. Once fully fuelled we headed to the George Inn, for a well deserved drink, before taking a slow walk around the area, taking in the sights.

As we arrived at The Shard, the wind started to pick up speed and was now gusting at 50mph. We made our into the foyer, a few minutes early, and were ushered into the Security Area, where belts, phones and other metal objects were removed, while bags were scanned. After stepping through the metal detector, and having collected our belongings, we made our way to the first of two lifts which would take us to the viewing platforms.

The first lift took us up to the 32nd floor, at a speed of 6m/s. We then transferred to our second elevator and, within moments, we were up at the viewing platform, on the 69th floor. A few flights of stairs then took us up to the Open air Skydeck on the 72nd floor.

After snapping a few photos we decided to collect our complimentary glass of Champagne, before looking at the view properly. By now the wind was blowing a gale, which caused the structure to sway gently. As the Open air Skydeck is, well, open air, some champagne glasses were being blown from the highly polished bar, before shattering on the floor.

The views are spectacular and were, for the most part, unobscured by clouds, due to the hurricane blasting them away.

We soon made our way back down to the Indoor viewing gallery, where, now enclosed, we weren't buffeted by the wind, allowing for steadier photographs to be taken.

Before we finished our tour, we both decided to use the facilities: Using a toilet, 68 storeys up, that has floor to ceiling windows is an incredible, if peculiar, feeling.

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'HMS Belfast'... revisited.

Erin and Keilyn standing by 'B' Turret. 
The guns of 'A' and 'B' turrets are both elevated and targeted on the M1 Gateway Services, some 12.5 miles away.
This is well within reach of these 6-inch guns.

Way back on August 4, 2010, I took my eldest daughter, Alysha, aboard HMS Belfast. She was 14 at the time. We had a great time exploring the ship and taking in the views.

This past Sunday, August 4, 2019, I took my two youngest daughters, Erin (7) and Keilyn (6), aboard. We climbed up ladders, clambered through watertight doors and edged our way along narrow gangways, taking in all nine decks.
(I am unsure as to why August 4th has played a part in both visits).

We began our exploration on the Quarterdeck, before heading inside and into the Laundry. Then off to the Sound Reproduction Room, Chapel and Mail Room, before heading down the first of many ladders to the Boiler and Engine Rooms.

A set of ladders brought us back up to the quarterdeck, where we saw the Messdeck, Bakery and Food Stores. We then carried on passed the  Galley, NAAFI, Provision Stores, the Dentist, Dispensary and Sick Bay. This brought  us to the Arctic Messdeck and the Brig.

We then doubled back and headed down more ladders to the Forward Steering Position. Then up some ladders only to go down some more, a few moments later, as we entered the Shell Room and Magazine for 'B' Turret.