Get grandparents to take the kids to the London Film Museum, South Bank

I used to love MOMI (Museum of Moving Image) which was on the South Bank and was really sad when it closed eight years ago. So I thought it was about time I checked out the London Film Museum which is now located in the former County Hall.

It’s just 10 minutes’ walk from Waterloo station although you have to run the gauntlet of street entertainers (which included gold and silver statues, superheroes, Michael Jackson, smurfs, horror film victims and even the Queen). There is also the skating rink in front of the London Eye. After purchasing tickets at the booth (£13.50 for adults, £9.50 for kids between five and 15 years) you take some steps up and walk along the wood panelled corridors in the depths of the former LCC following small white arrows on the floor. Finally, you see a model of Marilyn in her famous air vent pose and take a right into the museum.

The music is dramatic and the first room you enter is spacious with a selection of costumes and spotlights, clapperboards, marked up scripts (Batman, Superman), costumes (Cleopatra) and props (huge chess pieces from Alice in Wonderland) and even some signed pictures on the walls. I adored the huge Rank Organisation gong. Then you start walking down the corridors which have information about and film extracts from the London studios – Denham, Elstree, Bray, Pinewood, Teddington, Shepperton etc.

Then there are a series of side rooms with themed exhibits. These are small but they contain great props and each had a relevant film playing. First up was Heroes – there were models of Batman as well as his costumes and Superman and Lara Croft.

The Harry Potter room had lots of statues of those dementors which were quite scary and displays of the tri-wizard cup and golden egg. There were a few of Ron and Harry’s costumes too – including the dragon task outfit. There were broomsticks and lots of wands – many of which are on sale at the shop (safely located out near the London Eye). The horror room is not for very young kids – there are gory models of things in coffins and dissected monkeys. There are numerous heads with all manner of injuries. Mummies, skeletons and a large hand covered in spiders. The models from Hellraiser and Dog Soliders are impressive.

I admit that I was almost afraid to enter the Alien room – half expecting something to jump out on me. My favourite model of the entire museum was in here – a huge alien surrounded by egg pods. Nearby was a glass case containing some face huggers. There was also a Dr Who tardis and some daleks. Out on the corridor was a huge yeti. Along another corridor I found massive props of everyday items from The Borrowers. Around a corner and I met The Simpsons sitting on a bench.

Then I reached the Star Wars room – where some French lads were fooling around with light sabres and having their photo taken with R2D2 and C3P0. The Sherlock Holmes room was an old fashioned room with a time line showing over 65 film and TV productions between 1905 and 2008 – I had no idea that it was so popular. A huge spray can indicates a room where school and other groups are able to join animation classes with Huw J Davies who has worked on Disney and Marvel films.

There are also a couple of special exhibits which are included in the ticket price – Ray Harryhausen’s “Myths & Legends” takes up a number of connected rooms and features lots of little models of all manner of creatures from films from my childhood such as Clash of the Titans, Sinbad and Jason and the Argonauts. There’s a dark room containing a model of Medusa and clips from the film and another huge Medusa model just as you leave. That made me jump. Along another corridor and I found a large dinosaur skeleton from Night at the Museum.

The other special exhibit is of Charlie Chaplin – there’s a narrative about the early years of this East Londoner and his move to Hollywood, lots of film clips and, of course, costumes and that famous hat and cane.

Right at the centre there is a huge dome ceilinged room with a large circular sofa in the middle and costumes around the periphery including those from Johnny English (I was so happy to be so close to the suit worn by the marvellous John Malkovich), Bourne Identity, Al Pacino, Knight’s Tale, Elizabeth, the Golden Compass and even Ali G. And music from Titanic plays softly in the background. Marvellous.

The London Film Museum – and the old Council chamber where "Red Ken" held his meetings which you also allowed to visit – is still used for filming today. I was told that part of Made in Dagenham was filmed here and as well as a new Danny Boyle film (Chase) – so it is part of the history of film itself.

It’s not a modern or glamorous museum and is even a little unpolished in places but the rather grand County Hall décor makes up for this. I liked too that there was so much space – children will like being able to roam around unhindered and explore the various rooms and corridors which offer up all manner of delights. The features on Harry Potter, Star Wars, Sherlock Holmes, aliens and horror films are bound to interest the kids. And grandparents will no doubt enjoy seeing many memories of the UK’s (and London’s) film heritage and be reminded of their earliest cinema experiences.

http://www.londonfilmmuseum.com/