The Museums

Today we went into London to the museums. I say "the" museums because they are "the" best museums in London and I used to work at both of them! First up was the Science Museum followed by the Natural History Museum, both of which are in South Kensington, next door to each other.

We visited the hands-on galleries and caught a science show about rockets. The children experienced the earthquake simulator, and visited many of the galleries including transport, creepy crawlies, mammals and dinosaurs.

Trying out a home-made arch bridge

Finding out how washing machines work

Investigating minerals

Hell-Fire Caves

Today we met friends for a walk through Hell-Fire Caves and the nearby church and mausoleum. The caves were origionally hand carved from the hillside for chalk mining and were later used as a hide out for the Hell-Fire club.

Above the caves on the hillside is a church and mausoleum. Then it was on to an old English pub for a late lunch and then birthday cake for Uncle "fool".

Museum of London

Today we visited the Museum of London. The museum exhibits are arranged in chronological order beginning with the settlements of the ancient Britains before London even existed right up to the present day. There are lots of models and mock ups of buildings. In the picture above you can see R at the Victorian grocers.

Roman kitchen

1666 fireman and 2014 fire woman

Victorian pub

Believe it or not this is a cardboard model of a London street

Lord Mayor's coach

British Museum

Today we went to the British Museum to look at the Egyptian and Roman galleries. As usual for London's most popular and free museum it was packed.

Insiders tip: free lockers (saving you £1.50 an item at the cloakroom!), toilets without a queue and quiet picnic tables are found in the Ford Centre for Young Visitors; downstairs near the obelisk at the front right of the great hall.

First stop was the families desk where we borrowed some activity backpacks. These are really good and contain hands-on activities to do in the galleries such as puzzles, feely bags, mosaics, matching cards, dress ups and more. We tried out the Egyptian mummies and the Roman jobs backpacks.

Feely bag activity

Trying a Roman shoe