Days Out: London Transport Museum
Located in the heart of Covent Garden, a trip to the London Transport Museum makes for a great family day out.
As a world-class city, London has numerous family-friendly museums dotted around the capital. From the Natural History Museum to the Imperial War Museum and the Horniman Museum, there are plenty of fantastic museums to keep little kiddos happy and entertained. Another example of an awesome children’s museum is the London Transport Museum.
A Family-Friendly and Informative Museum
Located right in the heart of Covent Garden, a trip to the London Transport Museum makes for a great day out in Central London. After you can refuel your energy at one the many local eateries and perhaps a bit of shopping. Shopping, you say? Well, that is if mum and dad have enough stamina after a fun-filled session at the London Transport Museum.
Similar to Barbican’s Museum of London, the London Transport Museum traces the evolution of transport from the Victorian age to the present. The museum is not only great for kids, but it’s also very informative for adults too. It documents 200 years of transport history through photographs, memorabilia, billboards, replicas, and actual transport vehicles.
Evolution of London’s Transport System
Entering the museum from Covent Garden Piazza, the journey starts on Level Two. The exhibition focuses on the main transportation mode in 19th century Victorian London. Transport is by horse-drawn carriages which carried people through narrow cobbled-stone roads. As an animal lover, Lady Yeya loved the horses, if only she could climb on board the horse carriages.
Continuing on the journey to Level 1, the next exhibition celebrates the development of the first underground in the world. To support London’s growing population, whilst also minimising street congestion resulted in the birth of the Metropolitan Line in 1863. As an east-west transport link, the original Metropolitan Line connected the city from today’s Paddington Station to Farringdon Station. Today, the expansive London Underground, or simply the Tube, has 11 lines covering some 250 miles of track with 270 stations across Greater London.
Interactive Fun
The Ground Level (Level 0) is where all the fun is, especially if you are a toddler. The Ground Floor is neatly divided into various exhibits from “Digging Deeper,” to “London’s Transport at War” — all showcasing different elements of the complex web of London’s transport networks. The “Future Engineers” is an interactive exhibit where kids can act as the underground tube conductor driving the Elizabeth Line. Lady Yeya was less interested, at least for now. But this section is great fun for the budding engineers interested in STEM.
On display across the Ground Floor are all surface modes of transportations from 1900 to the present. This included everything from electric trams to the classic red double-decker bus and the ubiquitous black cabs. In previous years, kids were allowed to climb on various transport vehicles, but now there are only a few designated busses and cabs kids can ride on. However, that said, there is an “All Aboard” play zone where kids under 7 can “drive” the Thames Clipper or the London Bus or the DLR. All the areas are diligently clean frequently throughout the day.
A December to Remember at the London Transport Museum
As with every December at the London Transport Museum, there is always a lovely winter wonderland corner tucked away on the ground floor. This year, it’s a magical Scandi forest scene with fairy lights, cosy throw blankets and transport-related books for the kids’ enjoyment. Lady Yeya thoroughly enjoyed the “hygge” atmosphere, so much she didn’t want to leave despite me bribing her with pizza later at Pizza Pilgrims.
The London Transport Museum is spacious and very buggy-friendly with lots of family amenities. It is truly a wonderful museum for the whole family. In fact, Lady Yeya loved the “bus museum” so much that she asked if we can go back tomorrow. Kids go free but must be accompanied by an adult. The London Transport Museum is worth the price of the adult ticket, which is valid for 12 months for future exploration and more family fun.
