Museums - Archive Articles

The roundel that got cancelled

There’s a display in the Transport Museum of roundels used by TfL, but one of them shouldn’t be there.

London’s largest ever Bronze Age hoard discovered

The largest ever Bronze Age hoard to be discovered in London, and the third largest of its kind in the UK, has been unearthed in Havering. A total of 453 bronze objects dating between c.900 and c.800 BC have been…

Silvery spiral stairs for East London’s Museum of Childhood

The V&A’s Museum of Childhood in East London has secured planning permission for a large revamp of the listed building.

See the Admonitions of the Instructress to the Court Ladies

A document that is so rare and fragile that it can only be seen for a few weeks each year has gone on display in the British Museum.

Book review: Hidden London: Discovering the Forgotten Underground

Released to tie in with an exhibition of the same name, this book is a picture rich journey through some of the disused and hidden spaces on the London Underground.

Tickets Alert: Train trip into the Jubilee line’s overrun tunnels

There’s a chance next month to visit a part of the Jubilee line rarely seen – the overrun tunnels that run beyond Charing Cross station towards Aldwych.

Discover a disused London Underground station in Covent Garden

As you step through the familiar terracotta frontage of an old tube station it’s difficult to believe you’re two floors above ground, and not deep under it.

Samuel Pepys dinner plate goes on display

This is more significant than it sounds, as it’s one of only three items of silver plate known to have belonged to Pepys as part of his personal collection and is now the only one on display in the UK.

A book about London Underground’s famous Moquette

It’s a curious thing, Moquette, that hard wearing fabric in bold designs that seems to spark strong passions in people. Is it the design, the familiarity, the heritage, the links with London Transport?

London Underground posters – Special offer for ianVisits readers

Alongside the design of the stations, London Underground’s posters heritage is justly world-famous.

A lunar exhibition of moon rocks and art in Greenwich

On this anniversary year of the moon landings, one of the many exhibitions that are opening is in London, and looks not just at the moon landing, but at the moon entire.

Rare watch goes on display in the Science Museum

An intricate British-made watch which sold in 2017 for £3.2 million has gone on display in the Science Museum for the next few years.

Tickets Alert: Affordable vintage train trips

A relief from the prices that steam trains have to charge for trips, as a 1950s vintage trains offers affordable runs along part of the Metropolitan line in September.

325 object to mark 325 years of the Bank of England

The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street is of the sort of age that you should never mention about a lady, but she’s dug out an object for every year of her life.

Sir John Soane’s Museum going tickets only from August

It’s a compliment of sorts when your museum is so popular that it has to stop allowing people to just turn up and visit.

Driverless: Who is in control?

Self driving cars may seem like a modern invention, but they’re much older than you might realise.

The Museum of the Moon at the Natural History Museum

Deep within the Natural History Museum is a huge cavernous space filled with a giant floating replica of the moon.

Tickets Alert: Behind the scenes at Piccadilly Circus tube station

There will be a chance to go behind the scenes at Piccadilly Circus tube station as part of the expanding Hidden London tours from the London Transport Museum.

See spies and spooks at the Science Museum

A new exhibition that is less James Bond and more Q looks at the history of how British spies kept their secrets safe from enemies.

Holy mini glowing tube roundels Batman!

Following the success of the large glowing tube roundels sold by the London Transport Museum, they’ve launched a smaller version as well.

Horniman Museum shows off expansion plans

Nearly 20 years ago, the Horniman Museum in South London expanded, and now they need to do so again.

A chance to go inside the derelict Smithfield Meat Market

Although Smithfields is still a functioning meat market, about half of the Victorian buildings are derelict and this weekend is a chance to go inside.