So you know the expression, “like a kid in a candy store?” That’s how I felt in The Museum of London. The place was beyond awesome and showed the history of Britain from the very beginning up to the new baby George, Kate and William’s baby born just two days before we arrived. The museum takes you through the people who originally settled in Britain and the type of weapons and tools they used in their daily lives. The museum moved through time showing the evolution of Britain and it’s culture at all the major points in time.
The picture above is an example of mixing the old with the new. These Roman ruins from 410 AD show a period of time when Romans were being taxed highly and the people were protesting. Such things have not changed over time so to make the exhibit more interactive they added a protest sign one might see today when a person is protesting high taxes.
After moving through the pre-Roman time, I moved into the area that showcased Roman Britannia, as Britain used to be called, and the interesting part of this room was that they incorporated modern things into the exhibit. Doing this effectively compared and contrasted how things were then and how things are now. Each exhibit was interactive giving it a fun new twist for both kids and adults and always tied in the new with the old.
My favorite part of the exhibit was the 19th century, often referred to as the Victorian Era because that was when Queen Victoria reigned. The museum had an entire Victorian neighborhood of shops set up that showed what each place would have looked like and what they would have sold. They also had a Victorian pleasure garden, a garden/park specifically set up for entertainment and relaxation, set up. The pleasure garden was definitely a place I could see myself spending a lazy day in and something I think we should have back home.
–Maggie Williams