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Sunny intervals Design Museum
Visitor Reviews
A world renowned museum of design, fashion and architecture, the Design Museum has a varied programme of exhibitions combining compelling insights into design history with the most exciting innovations in contemporary design.
Situated in an idyllic location between Tower Bridge and Bermondsey, on the banks of the River Thames, the museum is enjoyed by families, fashionistas, designers and students alike.
Disabled access, acclaimed design shop and excellent refreshments.
Related Categories
| Opening times: | Daily 10.00-17.45 last admission: 17.15. Open Bank hols except Christmas. Cafe & shop closing times differ to museum. |
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| Catering | Food shop On-site café/restaurant |
| Booking and payment details | Solo accepted Maestro accepted |
| Accessibility | Ramp/level access |
Itchy review of Design Museum
Has the market cornered for all things design – fantastic exhibitions, a great café/restaurant and a shop that’ll sort you out for the next ten years worth of birthday presents.
Lonely Planet review of Design Museum
In recent years this museum, founded by Sir Terence Conran 20 years ago and housed in a 1930s-era warehouse, has abandoned its permanent collection of 20th- and 21st-century objects to make way for a revolving programme of special exhibitions. The shows are populist - a display of Manolo Blahnik shoes; Formula One racing cars; the evolution and use of what is our favourite material in the world, Velcro - and also very popular. The informal White Café (;10:00-17:30) is on the ground floor and the more formal Blue Print Café restaurant is upstairs.A short distance to the south of the museum in the centre of Queen Elizabeth St is a bronze statue of Jacob, one of the many Courage Brewery dray horses stabled here in the 19th century. These workhorses delivered beer all over London from the brewery on Horselydown ('horse lie down') Lane, where the poor old things rested before crossing the bridge - again and again.
Visit London review of Design Museum
The Design Museum shop is a veritable supermarket for gadgets with everything from snowman milk pitchers to ugly dolls on sale. The store can be relied on to source the very latest inventions from top designers, as well as stocking established work from Le Corbusier and Mies van der Rohe. There is also a great selection of coffee table design books, so you can appear ultra clued-up when your friends visit.
Traveller Rating:
Based on 3 reviews
Latest 3 reviews of Design Museum
What design?
I visited the Centre on 1 May 2006 and have many words to describe the farcical experience - craptastic, inherently lacklustre and as my normally spritely companion stated (who was overcome with lethargy mid way into the exhibit), overwhelmingly underwhelming.
Two levels holding an incoherent slap dash of chairs, discarded bicyles and album covers. Had I entered a crackhouse used by Ikea designer dropouts or what proudly annouces itself as the worlds first 20th century design museum?
I would have gained greater insight into the world of design watching MTV in four day old underwear. And kept my £20.
2 May 2006
Spent an entire day enthralled - make sure to visit
The Design Museum is mecca for those interested in things such as Edward Tufte's " The Visual Display of Quantitative Information". It's all about the history of nonverbal communications - taking complex data and turning it into information. They have a really neat overview of the London Tube and it's famous map - geographically imprecise, but now THE reference for millions of people. It was part of an exhibition "You Are Here: The Design of Information" through 5/15/05. There is also a cool section where the exhibit follows the major social trends over the twentieth century: worldwide travel, consumerism, internet, etc. A highly recommended visit!
23 April 2005
It made my trip
Granted, one exhibit was closed for installation the day I visited the museum. However, I got in at a discounted price because of that. But if you're going to galleries you're bond to run into a couple that are closed for installation. The areas that were open were a lot of fun--the exhibit was for Designer of the Year-- and unlike many galleries and museums in London, you can take pictures. In the permanant display, I even found the original Atari I played with as a kid! To make the most of your visit, check the website, www.designmuseum.org, to see what shows are up.
5 April 2004
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Kids Activities at Design Museum Special event
Recurring event
24 Apr 2008 to 25 Aug 2008
Retrospective from the architect responsible for the Millennium Dome, the Pompidou Centre and Terminal 5. Ends 25 Aug
Tim Walker - Pictures Exhibition
9 May 2008 to 28 Sep 2008
London based photographer Tim Walker has established himself at the cuttingedge of fashion photography. His images capture a sublime moment in time,evoking a sense of epic drama and beauty. Stunning sets and lavish locationsjuxtapose the everyday with the absurd and the fabulous, to create captivating, original photographs. Tim's evocative images are full of textured nuance and intriguing detail. His innovative photography is amongst the most imaginative and exuberant being produced today. This comprehensive overview of Walker's work offers a rare glimpse into his artisticmethod, from inspiration to execution, and will deconstruct the complex process ofcreating fashion images. The exhibition explores the design and planning process that goes into producing the sets and scenery for Tim's photographs. From vision to reality, visitors will be able to gain access to an array of images, sketches and source material rarely seen. The exhibition space will be transformed into a larger than life photography studio where a giant sized camera and oversized picture frames will place the viewer in the world of the fashion photo-shoot. Tim's work regularly features in style and fashion magazines including Vogue, W and Harpers Bazaar, he has also created advertising campaigns for exclusive clients such as Comme des Garcons and Gap.Industrial Facility - Some Recent Projects Exhibition
9 May 2008 to 28 Sep 2008
Industrial Facility is the London-based design office of Sam Hecht, Kim Colin and Ippei Matsumoto. A studio primarily designing mass produced goods, Industrial Facility take pleasure in the anonymity of everyday items, applying intellectual rigour, high design values and vision to products such as coffee makers, stationary and kitchen utensils.
Prices and Booking for Design Museum
Prices:
| Adult: | From £8.50 full price |
|---|---|
| Concessions: | From £6.50 concession |
| Student: | From £5.00 concession |
Location Information Design Museum
| Address: | Shad Thames, London London SE1 2YD |
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| Telephone: | +44 (0)20 7403 6933 |
| Fax: | 0870 9091909 |
| Email: | info@designmuseum.org |
| Website: | www.designmuseum.org |
| Public transport: | Tower Hill Tube |
| By road: | Tube: Tower HillTube/Rail: London Bridge; DLR: Tower Gateway |
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© Collins Bartholomew 2008
