Museum of London-Docklands

 

The Museum of London Docklands is housed in No.1 Warehouse of the West India Docks on the Isle of Dogs. The Warehouse exhibit contains objects, storyboards, and videos to illustrate the activities of the dockworkers at the Port of London. These workers, known as dockers, unloaded the ships and stored goods like sugar, rum, and tobacco in the warehouse.

Barrels and large scales are examples of the objects.

The West India Docks were the largest group of docks in the world in the early 1800s.

Recreated scenes  illustrate aspects of life in the docklands with objects like tools, lanterns, ropes, and furniture.

London's docks were bombed during World War II. Small steel Consul shelters were provided for those who needed to work on the docks.

Consul Shelter

WW II Bomb

The museum includes educational information on the slave trade. Some of the goods stored in the warehouse were came from the Caribbean where African slaves worked the plantations. Those who traded in goods such as sugar became rich in part because of slave labour.

 Slavery was abolished in the British Empire in 1833. The African slavery system lasted about 300 years but the effects of the slavery system continue. 

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Google Map showing the location of the Museum of London Docklands

 

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Battersea Power Station London England UK

 

Battersea Power Station is a place to shop, eat, and drink by the Thames River.

Of course, it is also a London landmark. The massive "brick cathedral" began in 1929. It's still the largest brick building in England.

Men at work in 1929

A view from 1935.

A model inside the exhibit

After my visit, I took a boat along the Thames River to Tower Bridge.

See more London sites and Landmarks

See more places to visit in the UK

Map of  Battersea Power Station

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Learn more about Battersea Power Station on the web

Places nearby

Battersea Park

Battersea Bridge

You might like this fun and informative guide to British words and phrases.

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Tate Modern Art Gallery London, England, UK

 

The Tate Modern Art Gallery in London houses international modern and contemporary art. The building was rebuilt from the structure of the former Bankside Power Station. It opened in 2000 and was expanded in 2009.

As you enter, you are in Turbine Hall --site of the former power station turbines. In 2021, satellite-like objects float above visitors.

Watch the video clip to see this action display.

The works on display at the Tate date from 1500.

I've only posted a few examples of my photos here. Below you will find a link to their vast online collection.

The Guerrilla Girls challenge the male dominated world of art in art galleries.

Yin Xiuzhen's Weapon 2003-7. Read More

In 2021, there was a special exhibition titled the Making of Rodin.

Part of the "tins" artwork by Ana Lupas. The tins contain her original wheat wreaths, which were created by locals in Transylvania, Romania.

The modern babel tower has to be experienced for a full effect. Here's a short video clip.

You can browse examples of their collection online.

Basic Information

Location: Bankside, London SE1 9TG

Goggle Map to Tate Modern

Gift Shop - Available Online

Busses: See https://tfl.gov.uk/ for the latest bus routes

Underground: Nearby tube stations are Southwark, Blackfriars, St Paul's

Fees: In 2021, general admission is free but there is a fee for special exhibitions

Bag sizes are limited to 55 x 40 x 20 cm

Food- there are cafes

Facilities: Toilets, Cloakroom

Accessibility: See https://www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-modern

Photos: Nonflash photos are permitted for personal use. No tripods.

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Victoria and Albert Museum London

 The focus of the V&A (Victoria and Albert) Museum is "the world's leading museum of art, design, and performance." Indeed, the variety of objects is amazing.

Silver

Above- Christening cup and cover, King George II (1683-1760)

Above- soup tureen and ladle, 1740s, Paul de Lamerie, London

Paintings

Furniture

Gold and amazing jewelry

Copies of massive works from outside the UK

And a cornucopia of smaller objects as well

Below- bowl from Egypt c 1000-1050

Below Right Jar, Parkistan c 3000-2000 BC

Resources

V& A Museum Books- Calligraphy, Embroidery, Patchwork & Quilting, Museum Art, and more

There's more--including special exhibits

Basic Information

Location: Cromwell Road, London SW7 2RL

Underground stations: South Kensington, Gloucester Road

Train nearby: Victoria Station

Buses: see tfl.gov.uk

Facilities

Toilets can be found throughout the museum

There is a buggy park/family area

Lifts are available

There are Cafes

There is a garden with outdoor seating--where I had lunch on my last visit.

Museum website https://www.vam.ac.uk/

See V & A on Google Map

Natural History Museum London England

 

The Natural History Museum in London, England has some 80 million objects, which date as far back as 4.5 billion years. They have over 300 scientists and recently reported publishing 700 papers in conjunction with others outside the UK. The museum first opened 18 April 1881. It's origins date to 1753 and the collection of Sir Hans Sloane purchased by Parliament.

What I recall from decades ago is the impressive great entrance hall (Hintze Hall). The impressive blue whale skeleton is 25.2 metres long.

I expected to see dinosaur skeletons and was impressed by the animation--wishing my grandchildren could enjoy the presentation too. See the clip below from YouTube.

A couple more dinosaur displays.

More treasures in the Great Hall.

I am fortunate to have a granddaughter interested in rocks, gems, and fossils. She would have a field day at this museum's collection. Here's a few examples.

I sent my granddaughter a photo of the largest blue topaz on display. The Ostro stone weighs 2 Kilos and is 9,381 carats, nearby are cases of minerals and gems.  Link to story.

More treasures

It's fitting that the museum would place English scientist Charles Darwin in a prominent place.

This specimen of a Giant Sequoia is from a 100- metre tall tree in California, USA. The tree was cut in 1891.

I couldn't resist this photo of an old bird. It is a reconstruction of a life-size Dodo from parts of a skeleton. There are drawings and paintings of the bird from the 1600s. The last sighting was 1662. Height = 1 metre, weight 10.6 to 17.5 kg.

The journey to the earth's core represents considerable creativity on the part of the museum staff.

The display of human origins was a bit disappointing because of its limited scope. But there are a couple of standouts: Lucy and Cheddar Man.

Lucy is the nickname for a female skeleton found in East Africa in 1974. She dates from about 3.7 million years ago. You can read more on the museum website.

Cheddar Man's skeleton was found in England in 1903. He dates to about 10,000 years ago. He's been classified as a Mesolithic hunter- gatherer. Read more here.

I created a video overview of some of the specimens and two dinosaur presentations. You can find it on my YouTube channel- SuttonTravels.

Related Posts / Places

Visiting the United Kingdom

Visit London England

Field Museum, Chicago Illinois

Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, Washington DC

American Museum of Natural History, NYC

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