Museum of London

I liked this museum very much. Apart from being basically free, it gives you a useful overall idea of the history of this great city, starting from the primitive ages (beautiful reproductions of prehistoric houses!) on through the milestone epochs of London. I especially enjoyed the Great Fire section - which also offers many interactive features - and the Roman Age section. It also looks out onto the London Wall, which is worth seing, being one of the few Roman remains in London. Set in the City, it is very close to St. Paul's Cathedral. Good cafeteria and shop too.

I spent half a day there today with my 10 and 7 year old girls and we enjoyed it and we will go back and see the bits we missed out. We did find the exhibition areas quite variable though (see below).

The London's Burning section (the storey of the fire of London) was well told, with video and interactive items (such as a 17 century fire-fighter's helmet to try on).

However the medieval section, whilst having quite a good set of 'things' (mostly behind glass), failed to tell any sort of story and drained the children's enthusiasm in 15 mins.

There were two organised children's events going on while we were there - vase making (using weird foamy plaster?) and story-telling. Both of these were excellent. There was also a children’s activity pack (free!) for each of the gallery areas. They were nicely done – much more than the usual photocopied sheet you get at these places.

On the house keeping side, the cafe was good, the toilets and picnic area were nice and the members of staff were helpful and knowledgeable.

Obviously, a museum dedicated to the history of London will have lots of great material to work with. However, till the re-do is complete and open, the current museum is underwhelming in scope and presentation. It makes you realize how much museum displays, layout and technology have improved since the 1960s or 70s. If your time in London is limited, I'd skip this museum till it's redone.

I attended during a school holiday, and the place was overrun with little ones. About 75 kids seemed to be particularly enjoying the storytelling session from a woman in period costume, so if you're taking kids you might check ahead into schedules of these educational events.