Kids in London – Crime, cauldrons and tattoos at The Museum of London

KimT's London for Kids Blog

It’s always tough to know how to keep the kids amused during the Easter holidays but The Museum of London never fails to have a variety of delights for young and old alike.

I popped in the other day to check out Tattoo London – a small exhibition charting the history of tattooing in London and providing insights into the history of various Italian, American and other artists who established the London tattoo scene. I never knew tattoos popularity was fuelled by a royal connection. OK, this exhibition isn’t exactly for the small folk but they may find the giant screen showing a tattooist in action interesting.

On the ground floor there are the permanent displays about the history of London. It starts with an assortment of ancient tools and weapons – and some animals in the farming section - and then moves swiftly into Roman London. I loved the film about gladiators with the revelation that London’s amphitheatre is beneath Guild Hall.

Then, in Medieval London, there’s a fascinating film about the Black Death. Well, kids like the gory stuff.

The entertainment continues downstairs. I also really enjoyed strolling through the streets of Victorian London – although it was dark and gloomy. The Savoy restaurant and Selfridge’s lift were interesting. Fashion fans will enjoy looking at some of the fabulous dresses and costumes – ancient as well as those from more recent eras. I was delighted to find a Pearly King outfit too.

There is a small exhibition on London and video games for the geeks. The large central café has neon lights above it and was comfortably busy. In a rear room I found one of the Queen’s carriages with six model horses. That’s a lot of gold!

But I was most excited by the exhibition of the 2012 caldron. In a vast room – surrounded by casts of those stunning copper leaves – there is part of the caldron and a video showing it both being ignited at the opening ceremony and extinguished at the closing one. It really was impressive.

Of course, the main attraction at the moment is the Crime exhibition. I was so busy looking at all the other stuff that I didn’t have time to visit. But I’m told it’s a big hit with the kids.

Posted Date
Mar 29, 2016 in KimT's London for Kids Blog by KimT