From the outside, the Museum of London is as unprepossessing as they come but don't be put off by appearances. The five new galleries of  ‘modern’ London (from 1666) which opened earlier this year are a fabulous way to bring learning to life.

The new galleries open just after the Great Fire of London. The 18th century is one that tends to get a bit overlooked when we are taught history, sandwiched between the Tudors and the Victorians, and I was as enthralled as the kids as we saw the birth of a dynamic new city gradually rising from the ashes of the Great Fire. Key developments in the growth of the Empire, with London at its hub, are highlighted in a fabulously immediate way. Caxton’s printing press; the persecution of the Hugenots (resulting in an influx of highly skilled refugees); the steady growth in trade and commerce both east and west. With a clever use of interactives and stunningly presented displays, we recognised the origins of the bustling, vibrant, international melting pot we call home. This is a city of artisans, tradesmen, men of commerce. Davy (11) loved the touch screen apprentice ‘test’. He passed as an apprentice gunsmith but failed to be taken on as a trainee shoemaker. They peered in the debtor’s prison, the Clink; marvelled at the intricate embroidery of the Lord Mayor of London’s daughter’s dress with the sheaves of barley, representing her father’s brewing trade, sewn in golden threads. We wandered through the nocturnal Pleasure Gardens, complete with Philip Treacy designed hats and slightly sinister masked revellers.

Then it was on to Victorian London. Walking through the street was definitely a highlight – for both them and me. The amount of detail, from the tin soldiers in the toy shop window, to the ointments and medicines on sale in the chemist, is astonishing. They loved the Penny Farthing, the public urinals (and the origin of spending a penny). A few bits hadn’t changed much. The pub felt much like the one at the end of our road they go to with their Dad on Sundays; the intricate glasswear could have sat on a modern dining table.

The street exhibit feels frozen in time but the remaining galleries are racing forwards. Hunger-striking Suffragettes; the first London taxi; a nation hurtling down a track towards the 20th century and war. We had overrun our time (you could happily spend a morning here) and I promised that we would come another day to explore the last two galleries. On our whistle stop whizz, they were caught by the art deco Selfridges lift, the telephones (this made me feel ancient, as I definitely remember using one of them!), the first traffic lights and the Pearly King and Queen’s outfits. By the time we reached the last gallery, via a display of funky 60s’ and 70s’ clothing, it had stopped being a history lesson and become a celebration of swinging London.

But what a lesson it is! A must for all mini Londoners (and their parents). There is the ubiquitous Benugo museum café (I am not complaining, they are excellent) and a good shop. Entry is free. Heaps of free family workshops at weekends and in school holidays. 

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