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Cloudy Museum of London
Visitor Reviews
Step inside Museum of London for an unforgettable journey through London’s turbulent past. Journey back in time and discover London before London, see how the city changed as Romans gave way to Saxons, and wonder at the splendour of Medieval London. New for 2007 is London’s Burning, a family exhibition exploring the Great Fire of London. Museum of London is currently undergoing a major redevelopment, transforming the way it tells London’s story from 1666 to the present day. The new galleries will open in 2009 and visitors can enjoy prehistoric, Roman and Medieval London throughout the project.
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| Opening times: | Museum is open 10am to 6pm daily (last admission 5.30pm) Closed: Christmas Period. Free |
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| Catering | Food shop |
| Booking and payment details | Free Maestro accepted |
| Accessibility | Ramp/level access |
Itchy review of Museum of London
Right on a chunk of Roman wall – a fascinating insight into the living fabric of London in all its ancient glory. You see, it isn't all about Oxford Street and Starbucks - London goes back a little further than that...
Lonely Planet review of Museum of London
The Museum of London is one of the capital's best museums but remains largely off the radar for most visitors. That's not surprising when you consider that it's encased in concrete and located above a roundabout in the Barbican. Despite this, once you're inside it's a fascinating walk through the various incarnations of the capital from Anglo-Saxon village to global financial centre. The newest gallery, called London Before London, outlines the development of the Thames Valley from 450 million years ago. Harnessing computer technology to enliven its exhibits and presenting impressive fossils and stone axe heads in shiny new cases, it somehow feels less warm and colourful than the more-established displays. In these you begin with the city's Roman era and move anticlockwise through the Saxon, medieval, Tudor and Stuart periods. Continuing down a ramp and past the ornate Lord Mayor's state coach, this history continues progressively until 1914, although at the time of writing the galleries were being expanded and improved to take visitors up to the present day. The finished galleries are due to open in late 2009.Aside from the magnificently OTT state coach, highlights include the 4th-century lead coffin, skeleton and reconstructed face of a well-to-do young Roman woman whose remains were discovered in Spitalfields in 1999; the Cheapside Hoard, an amazing find of 16th- and 17th- century jewellery; the lo-fi but heartfelt Great Fire of London diorama, narrated from the renowned diary of Samuel Pepys; and a timeline of London's creeping urbanisation during the 18th and 19th centuries. There are two mock-ups of city streets: one represents Roman London, the other is called Victorian Walk and harks back to the 19th century (although Leadenhall Market, creates a slightly less authentic, but more lively Victorian feeling).You can pause for a breather in the pleasant garden in the building's central courtyard or head for the adjoining Museum Café, which serves light meals from 10:00 to 17:30 (from 11:30 on Sunday). Alternatively, on a sunny day, pack some sandwiches and lunch in the next-door Barber Surgeon's Herb Garden.When arriving, look for the Barbican's gate seven; before leaving, don't forget to have a browse through the well-stocked bookshop and check what the temporary exhibits are as these tend to be some of London's more interesting.
Traveller Rating:
Based on 10 reviews
Latest 5 reviews of Museum of London
Great - and FREE, too!
This museum is in the city, or financial area of London. I visited it on a Saturday, so the streets were free of traffic. It was an easy walk from the Moorgate tube stop. IT IS FREE. Has a nice gift shop, although as an American in 2008, my wife found the exchange rate stopped her from buying alot.
The exhibits cover various periods in London's history - Roman, medieval, the Great Fire and more, and they are all well done. We took a FREE guided tour of the medieval area, which was interesting, but the guide had a Polish accent and I found it took me a few seconds to comprehend what she was mis-pronouncing.
We could have stayed two hours or more - it was so good, but we only had 45 minutes on our self-styled whirlwind visit to London. We covered only the highlights, but I would definitely go back.
15 July 2008
Good starting point for London historical overview
I really liked this museum, I was disappointed that about half of it was closed for renovation. Lots of interesting exhibits, the Great Fire was particularly good. Great place for kids.
16 March 2008
Great Starting Point for 1st Time London Visitors
London today has been totally shaped by its history - for those of you who want more than the shops and the clubs - for those of you who travel in order to understand and relate, the Museum of London is a great introduction to this fantastic city.
Along with a bunch of other museums in the UK, this one is free. It is easily accessible from Barbican, St Pauls or Moorgate tubes and heaps of buses - be aware that you need to access the museum (which stands in the centre of a very busy roundabout!) by a pedestrian walk - there are stairs and lifts from Aldersgate Street, London Wall or St Martins-le-Grand.
In common with many other city museums today, this one seeks to 'walk you through' the life of the city - starting with "London before London", a look at how life developed along the Thames Valley from pre-history until the Romans. The next obvious step is "Roman London" - and what a city they built! Although most Roman remains are still buried beneath the silt of the Thames and the rubbish of the centuries, at the Museum of London they have skillfully recreated a picture of how it might have been - supported by some truly magnificent finds.
Of course, eventually, the Romans left and London, along with the rest of Britain, plunged into a time of uncertainty and conflict - Anglo-Saxon settlement, Viking raids and...utlimately...the Norman Conquest all changed the city in various ways. Alongside these London remained and grew as a major trading port of medieval times - building on their Roman beginnings to forge the basis of the centre of trade that London still is today. All of these stories are told in the museum, taking us through to the time of the Tudors.
The museum has regular 'temporary' exhibitions - the one running now (until 2009) tells the story of the Great Fire (1666) and its dramatic impact on the city.
Although some of the galleries in the museum are closed for refurbishment (Stuarts and after), the story of London is one I believe will open your eyes to the London many people miss - this museum is the place to get that fundamental understanding. I commend it to all visitors.
Information about opening hours etc. can be found on the museum's website www.museumoflondon.org.uk
16 January 2008
Nice
It is a good museum. There is quite a few item to observe. However, the museum isn't properly organise and the information about specific items isn't sufficient.
Nonetheless, it gives you an indication of the history of the city.
Apart, it is less than 5 minutes walk from St.Paul's Cathedral. Thus, it would ideal to included with a trip to the the cathedral to complete your day.
2 June 2007
Most of it is closed until 2009
I found the museum poorly laid out and the information a bit general. Also, 1/2 is closed for renovations, which might be part of hte reason it was so poorly laid out.
18 May 2007
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Please be advised that any comments, opinions and statements submitted herewith are entirely independent and do not represent views held by, or are in any way connected to Visit London.
Recurring event
Homeless in the Captial Exhibition
Recurring event
Social and Working History Exhibition
Recurring event
The bulk of the Museum's three-dimensional object collections are contained in the Social and working history collection. A great variety of subjects are represented and most objects have good London contexts and supporting information. Social history: General domestic material: good holdings of toys, including the Ernest King collection of Edwardian penny toys; vehicles; food packaging; architectural and building fragments, street furniture, shop fronts and interior fittings from a variety of London buildings.Roman Exhibition
Recurring event
The Roman collection comprises some 47,000 objects, the great majority of which were recovered during building operations in the City of London, Southwark and nearby areas in the last century and the first part of this century. Ceramics: Around two thirds of this collection comprises what is probably the largest collection of samian ware in the country. Of the other ceramic material, a large proportion consists of complete vessels or large fragments, probably indicating that they were derived from burial deposits. They are thus different in character from the sherds that are recovered from most City occupation sites, and complement excavated assemblages by indicating the complete forms of vessels.
Watch the VideoLocation Information Museum of London
| Address: | 150 London Wall, London London EC2Y 5HN |
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| Telephone: | 0870 4443850 |
| Fax: | 0870 4443851 |
| Email: | info@museumoflondon.org.uk |
| Website: | www.museumoflondon.org.uk |
| Public transport: | Barbican Tube |
| By road: | Cross over the road from Barbican underground, turn right and follow signs to the Museum along the High Walk. |
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