Making sense of it all: Museum of London

Walking to the Museum of London is part of the experience of the museum itself.  I first walked up to a large round about and read the words “Museum of London” on a large round building. Rounding the corned I felt like I was in a completely different place than Bloomsbury, Surrounding this large walled courtyard were a large cycling shop and classy cafes like Pret A Manger and EAT. While trying to find the entrance I came across these interesting characters on the side of the wall. 

To me, they look like people dancing. What do they look like to you?

I would like to start out by saying that mammoths really aren’t my thing. I am all for history, but when it gets to the ice age I am really not a fan. Give me stories of people working in squalid conditions or high profile victorian era aristovrates and my eyes will be aglow with interest for house, but the same cannot be said for mamoths. While I respect their size and power, I do not see the appeal that some do, 

Another observation I made about the museum was the other patrons. Most of whom were excitable school children in high visibility vests. One question I had was, “why are they all in these bigly colored reflective vests?” I assume it is so they can all be recognized as a group in crowds in absence of group t-shirts. 

Now that I have spent two paragraphs discussing my thoughts on the museum, it is important to look at the exhibits themselves. I will be supplementing my own thoughts on information gathered from and linking to the Museum’s website. As a part of the tour I will take you on of the museum are the things I found most interesting. After explaining my experience at the museum with my mom and making a point of my inability to understand the draw of a large mammoth, she proceeded to tell me an interesting story about this ancient mammal. It turns out that my parents attended a lavish dinner – complete with personal waiters to uncover plates and keep the refreshments flowing in their white gloves – seated at a long table around the mammoth. So there, that was my antidote about the mammoth that I have seen so many posts about. 

The London before London section is described on the website as, “(a place to) Discover the story of the Thames Valley and the people who lived there from 450,000 BC to the coming of the Romans in AD 50.” This section held my attention for the least amount of time since there was really nothing I could compare it to in any of my other courses. It was interesting to see, however, the importance of water to these early tight knit communities. 

The Roman London section illustrated what Londinium was like from AD 50 to 410. While walking through this section I was reminded of the Roman baths, which gave me context for this gallery. The chronological order of the galleries was concluded upon the exit of the labyrinth with a detailed timeline of London history in the context of larger global events that effected the city and its residence.