Museum of London Docklands

When we were in London we decided to find somewhere interesting to visit whih was away from the very centre, and this place seemed to fit the bill.
The museum was quite tricky to find even with the satnav but once we found it there was plenty of pay and display parking As well as by car it can also be accessed via boat bus or tube (West India Quay), so plenty of options.

After having spent a couple of days seeing sights in the centre of London, this was an oasis of calm, with boats moored on the river, warehouses housing shops and houses, and plenty of restaurants.
The museum itself is housed in a large revamped warehouse and once inside the warehouse theme continues with it being very large bright and airy with huge windows exposed brickwork and high ceilings. On the ground floor there is a café which sells food and drinks which can also be eaten at the tables and chairs outside the building.

We had paid a small fee for entry into the Captain Kidd exhibition which was on at the time of our visit. This was at the top of the building accessed via a lift. The exhibition had plenty of artefacts, information interactive displays and a dressing up area so plenty for children to get involved with.
There are 11 permanent galleries which tell the stories of London's Docklands, the River Thames, and London's past. These exhibitions are situated over several floors starting at the top and working their way down to round floor. The access from floor to floor can be via lift or as we did it down winding stairs which makes the whole story flow seamlessly. The exhibitions start with a story of the building itself, Number 1 Warehouse and moves on to Thames Highway through Docklands at War, Slavery, Trade and Modern Day. There are plenty of interesting displays with just the right amount of information and with reconstructions of offices and weighing places, where visitors can smell and weigh spices and coffee.

One of our favourite exhibitions was the Sailor town gallery which is a full size reconstruction of the dark, winding streets of Victorian Wapping. Here is is all dark and quite creepy with winding streets, dead ends and even a boat in one of the alley ways.
**Admission...**

Admission is free although any special exhibitions are subject to a ticket fee.
**Opening times...**

Monday to Sunday: 10am-6pm
Closed: 24 to 26 December
**Contact...**

Address: No1 Warehouse London E14 4AL
Tel: 020 7001 9844
Fax: 020 7001 9801
email: info.docklands@museumoflondon.org.uk
Website: www.museumoflondon.org.uk/docklands
**Verdict...**

We had a really enjoyable afternoon at the museum. The exhibitions are interesting enough to hold an adult's attentions and interactive enough so that the museum doesn't become "stuffy". There are life size exhibits such as an air raid shelter, ice cream van, carts, boats, etc. The majority of these are not roped off but rather are available for visitors to touch and experience.
The gift shop is somewhat better than a lot of museum gift shops, and seems to stock more educational products especially those which are historically based.

All in all I would recommend this museum to anyone in the area- smaller than some of the better known museums but for me much better.
Thanks for reading

Daniela xx