Museum of Childhood

A couple months ago my sister and brother-in-law were in town and we went to the V&A Museum of Childhood. The museum was opened in 1872 by the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) and was originally used to display items from the Wallace Collection. It started to focus on services for children in the 1920s and became an official Museum of Childhood in 1974.

Female prisoners from the Woking Gaol (jail) laid the fish scale pattern floor and students from the South Kensington Museum Mosaic Class created murals for the south wall. The day we went it was really busy with families and school groups, and many were enjoying the cafe. The museum has collections of toys, doll houses, children's clothing, furniture, and games from different time periods and countries.

We came to this museum to see a special exhibit on Britain's Child Migrants. It was heartbreaking as it discussed the children of poor families that were sent alone to commonwealth countries between 1869-1970. Below are examples of propaganda posters that were used to entice people to send their children off to a better life abroad.  

Many children were given homes in exchange for their work on farms. Sadly, the children were often seen as laborers instead of members of the family. They weren't allowed to go to school and were expected to work horribly long days. 

The exhibit followed one particular school in Australia that was set up for these child migrants. The children suffered horrible abuse and were sometimes told their families back home had died and they lost any opportunity to see them again as adults. 

We watched part of a documentary at the museum discussing the Child Migrants Trust, whose goal is to help former child migrants find information about their families and reunite them with surviving members. It was so sad to hear the stories of people who lost out on their childhood with their families but I am glad we saw the exhibit and learned more about this part of history. 

Dr Johnson's House

Dr Samuel Johnson was a writer in the 18th century. In 1746 he was commissioned to write the Dictionary of the English Language and moved to a house in Gough Square to work on this immense project. My friend Kate and I toured this house which is still set up how it would have looked during the time Dr Johnson lived there. 

Samuel Johnson was known to be a very robust character and a great conversationalist. He was a social person and counted many famous people as close friends including David Garrick (the actor) and Elizabeth Carter (the poet). The little cupboard on the right side of the photo below was the powder room, where one would sit to have their wig put on and powdered. It was also used to store wigs when not in use. 

Dr Johnson's house was not very busy the day Kate and I visited so we were able to have some fun with panorama photos and not disturb anyone. 

Samuel Johnson was a devoted tea drinker and was recorded to have drank 25 cups in one sitting while visiting a friend. The cups were not as large back then but even with a smaller cup that is a lot of tea! He commented about the occasion saying, "...I swallowed five-and-twenty cups of her tea, and did not treat her with as many words." Even on a typical day Johnson was known to drink 14 cups in one sitting. The cartoon below commemorates his love of tea. 

The writing of the Dictionary of the English Language was a huge undertaking taking 8 years to complete and required 6 assistants. It listed 40,000 words defined in detail and included at least one quotation for each (often Milton or Shakespeare quotes). It was the most extensive and complex English dictionary at the time. Johnson was guilty of imposing his opinions on the definitions. For example, his definition of oats is "a grain, which in England is generally given to horses, but in Scotland supports the people." 

The house at 17 Gough Square was built at the end of the 17th century. It has four floors and many still have the original features from the period, even though it fell into disrepair in the later part of the 19th century and was badly damaged during bombings in World War II. 

Along with the beautiful wood floors the house has an open staircase and the original 18th century anti-burglar devices on the front door. 

Outside in the square is a bronze statue of Johnson's favorite cat, Hodge, sitting on a copy of Johnson's Dictionary. Also featured on the statue are two oyster shells, which was Hodge's main diet (oysters were very inexpensive back then). Johnson's love of his pet set him apart from his 18th century contemporaries. He was once quoted as saying, "...he is a very fine cat, a very fine cat indeed."

Samuel Johnson is known as the second most quoted Englishman (the first being Shakespeare). My favorite quote from him is: "When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford." Well said, Dr Johnson. 

London Transport Museum

A few weeks ago I went to the London Transport Museum with my friends Mary, Pamela, and Kate.  I love public transportation and museums with great gift shops, so this was a great combination for me. 

The museum starts off in 19th century London when it was fashionable for the wealthy to travel by horse-drawn cabs. The idea of horse-drawn buses (below right) came from this and those were replaced by horse-drawn trams (below left). 

I love the design on this original bus ticket. So much lovelier than our current Oyster transport card. 

The world's first underground railway opened in London in January 1863 between Paddington and Farringdon (a route Warren is very familiar with). The original trains for the underground were steam powered and the carriages were gas lit. Not as comfortable as our current system of electric trains where some lines even have air conditioning! The London Underground used to have their publicity posters made by established and up-and-coming artists. These ones below were some of my favorites on display. 

It seems the tube has been a place to advertise for a long time now. I love reading the current ads while I commute around the city but this old ad was too good to not take a photo. I also loved seeing the old tube map in the model carriage. 

The museum had a live bus map projection showing the different routes around the city. It was fun to find the bus I take most often and watch it go around my neighborhood and beyond. 

After finishing at the London Transport Museum we went to lunch at Meat Market. Since there were four of us we were able to try several sides including the fried macaroni and cheese, onion rings, and fries. Everyone loved the food (which is lucky for me because Meat Market is one of my favorites). 

Another successful day out in the city! I loved the London Transport Museum, and their 2 for 1 voucher through Days Out Guide made it more affordable, leaving more money to spend on the delicious lunch.