Ok, so admittedly this blog is filled with an odd mixture of attractions and things to see, but ones that you should not miss!
Museum of London;
Want to find out more about what history of London where you can see the progression of the city of prehistoric times to the modern day? The Museum of London has strong ties to the Barbican centre and was opened in 1976 as part of the Barbican estate. The architects embraced a new and innovative approach to the museum design where by there was only one route though the museum. You start of in the prehistoric era working your way through to the modern galleries. I really love this design as it helps you to go through the information more like a story!
The opening hours are really flexible and admission is free!
Mon-Sun: 10am – 6pm
Closed 24-26 Dec
Galleries begin to close at 5.40pm
If you want some more insider knowledge of the museum tripadvisor is a great way to see what other people thought of their trip.
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g186338-d187560-Reviews-Museum_of_London-London_England.html
This is the map showing the route around the museum and gives you an idea of what is really there.
http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/files/6313/7224/3478/MuseumofLondonfloorplanandguide.pdf
James Smith & Sons umbrella shop, New Oxford Street
The history of this shop is amazing and well worth a read; http://www.james-smith.co.uk/history. It is a true family business that was founded in 1830, and you can really tell the love and passion that goes into running this very unusual shop. The building itself shows a flash back to the Victorian era as the shop retains the original fittings created by master craftsmen employed by the business.
They are open fairly normal retail hours, even if you cannot get there during the opening hours the shop front is still such an amazing sight!
Monday 10:00 – 5:45 pm
Tuesday 10:00 – 5:45 pm
Wednesday 10:30 – 5:45 pm
Thursday 10:00 – 5:45 pm
Friday 10:00 – 5:45 pm
Saturday 10:00 – 5:15 pm
Sunday Closed
http://www.james-smith.co.uk/location
The Churchill War Rooms, Westminster
The Churchill war rooms are a flash back into WW2, and are a group of basement offices in Whitehall. They were home to leading government minsters, including military strategist and Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Because of the devastation of the First World War, military planners had feared 200,000 causalities from bombing in a future war.
Early plans were drawn up for essential staff to evacuate from London, however, there was a concern that Londoners would feel abandoned, as well as the speed in which they could evacuate the city. So they started a search in London for an emergency shelter.
They found the perfect location under the New Public Offices, as the basement was large with a strong steel frame and was near parliament. The basement was adapted and became fully operational on 27 August 1939 a week before Britain declared war on Germany.
– The cabinet met here 115 times
– The cabinet rooms were in use 24 hours a day until 16th August 1945 when the lights were turned off in the map room for the first time in six years.
There are plenty of really interesting and quirky things to see and such a great insight to the war efforts in the city.
Prices for admission are;
Adult- £18
Child- £9
Concessions- £14.40
Opening hours; 9:30-18:00 everyday
The nearest stations to the attraction are Westminster (Jubilee, District and Circle Line)
St James’s Park (District and Circle Line)
Plan your journey with Transport for London.
