London Transport Museum (London Transport Museum)

Member Name: count_zero

Product:	London Transport Museum
Date:	05/03/08 (98 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great place to take the family

Disadvantages: Not very big and a bit pricey for adults

The London Transport Museum recently completed a large scale root and branch refurbishment and reopened towards the end of 2007. I know this because I walk past it every day on the way to work and could witness the inch by inch progress being made over the last year.

The LT Museum always had a reputation as a good place to visit. One of the first museums to offer a wide range of interactive exhibits it has always been a popular attraction, enhanced by its excellent location. However, despite again working on its doorstep a dozen years ago I have never previously been tempted to visit. I mean, it's just a bunch of trains and buses isn't it and I see enough of those commuting. Having children has changed my attitude though, and when the opportunity came recently to have a family day out this was near the top of the list.

Getting There~
The museum is in the heart of Covent Garden, overlooking the market buildings. The nearest mainline station is Charing Cross about ten minutes walk away and by tube you'll want to aim for Covent Garden on the Piccadilly Line. Leicester Square and Holborn stations are also within walking distance.
Driving isn't recommended due to the central location but there are NCP car parks close by if you need them.

London Transport Museum
Covent Garden Piazza
London
WC2E 7BB
020 7379 6344
http://www.ltmuseum.co.uk/default.aspx

Entry~
Opening times
Saturday to Thursday 10.00 to 18.00 (last admission 17.15)
Friday 11.00 to 21.00 (last admission 20.15)

Admission
Adults £8; Senior Citizens £6.50; Students £5.00
Freedom Pass holders and Under 16's free

Accessibility
London Transport Museum has wheelchair access to all galleries, Shop and Café. There are lifts to all floors and many of the exhibits are sunk into the ground to allow wheeled access through the carriages and so on. There are ramps for all short drops and the gangways are plenty wide enough for manoeuvring buggies and chairs.

What will you see~
Set over three floors the museum shows the history of public transport in London over the last two hundred years. The journey starts as you take the lift from the entrance to the top floor.
This unheralded introduction is quite clever but easy to miss. In the lift you are meant to feel like you are travelling back in time, news headlines coming through the speakers tell of the death of Princess Diana, Armstrong walking on the moon, peace in our time and so on until the doors open and you see horse drawn omnibuses. However by the time you twig what's going on it's over.

The big displays here are two omnibuses dating from the early nineteenth century, one running on wheels and the other on rails. This is not a big area but there are many panels giving lots of information about early public transport. There are several things to do here but unfortunately you can't climb on the displays beyond the foot plates.

Taking the lift or stairs down to the middle floor you find a larger area showing the history of the underground. There are plenty of big exhibits from early steam trains to the modern Docklands Light Railway. Can you imagine steam trains on the underground; according to newspaper clippings it was as unpleasant as it sounds. Most incarnations of tube carriages are here and all can be entered. There are more interactive activities and some excellent models showing how the first tunnels were built; dig a big hole in the road, lay some track and cover. The big draw here is the opportunity to drive a train, albeit on a simulator, and this proved to be very popular and the only time we encountered any queues.
Across an elevated walkway there is a learning resource centre with an information desk, computers and classroom. There is also a cutaway modern hopper bus and a dressing up area. Fans of Underground Ernie will love this and I can imagine it getting crowded at busier times.

There is an area showing the history of art and design on the underground which I found very interesting. Your opinion of London Transport will largely be determined on whether you use it on a regular basis or not. If you have to endure the over heated, over crowded underground you probably aren't going to come over all misty eyed about it, but step back from that and there is a lot that is quite impressive in its history.
Like many things that came out of the Victorian age, London's transport system set the standards that would be followed around the world. Beyond the heavy civil engineering there is a wealth of architecture, art and graphic design that is equally impressive and original. Many suburban tube stations are now listed buildings and represent significant architectural movements and styles. Art has been both sponsored and employed and original works by noted artists can be seen throughout the tube network in murals and posters. Graphic design has also played a significant part, from the original typefaces for signage to the instantly recognised logos there is much to choose from and that is without even talking about the tube map itself. That wonderful piece of draftsmanship, so easy to take for granted, is a work of economy and genius that perfectly represents the blend of form and function that should be at the heart of all good design.

Further on, when walking through a 1950's tube carriage I had a bit of a shock when I literally bumped into Matthew Pinsent, knight of the realm and sporting god, visiting with his family. My first thought was 'I thought you'd be taller', but once my son had pushed his lad to the ground to get at the remote control tube trains he actually did begin to look rather a lot bigger. Still, no harm done and we had a pleasant five minute chat about how nice the museum was and I never once mentioned how he had blubbed like a girl at the Olympics.

Down to the ground floor and there are more tube trains and finally several buses. Ranging from early petrol driven buses, through a couple of iconic Routemasters and ending with some modern driver only examples. Most of these can be boarded and on one you can get behind the wheel, steer and push lots of buttons. Which I did, obviously.

While access to the exhibits is closely corralled there are many little interactive diversions liberally sprinkled around the floors. This is quite a small museum, on a quiet Sunday morning we had covered everything in two hours. In busier times your progress will be slowed but I can't imagine any trip stretching far beyond three hours. If there is one drawback it is that if you go when it's busy or were to take a school party the main exhibits will become very crowded.

As always, you exit the museum through the gift shop. This one is laid out over two floors; on the ground floor is the usual collection of branded pens, notebooks and so on but up the stairs is a more grown up selection of posters, books and other materials aimed at the enthusiast or student. On this level there is also a small coffee shop.

Conclusion~
The London Transport Museum is clean, bright and modern - as you'd expect following the recent refurbishment. Although not large it packs a lot in and is laid out in a thoughtful way. Some careful planning has gone into the flow of the exhibits and surrounding information and the needs of all visitors have been accommodated wherever possible.
At £8 a head for adults it is quite expensive but with all children up to the age of 16 admitted free of charge it balances out to a fairly low cost family day out.
The location of the museum also cannot be ignored. Slap bang in the middle of Covent Garden you are surrounded by a vast choice of shops, bars, restaurants and sights that will easily fill a day. Unfortunately, I can't guarantee you'll meet any sporting gods.

Summary: A history of public transport in London