The Polish Institute & Sikorski Museum
August 5, 2009 at 9:51 pm | In General, London, Out and About, Tourism, Travel, UK, museum | Leave a CommentTags: Free, General, History, London, museum, poland, Polish Institute, review, Sikorski Museum, South Kensington, Tourism, Travel, UK
Opposite Hyde Park, on embassy row, if you look carefully you might see the Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum. A small museum spread out over several floors detailing some of experiences of Polish expatriate forces during World War Two.
There are limited information sign next to the collected items however you won’t need them as a guide will take you around, answering your questions and highlighting the importance of the pieces. This could pose a problem if a number of people come through during the two hours it is open. This happened to me in the final room when the usher brought a few Poles in for the guide (there’s only one). Luckily we were almost done. Also, as to be expected the guide spoke Polish and English. A tour takes about 30-45mins.
Probably not the thing to focus on but I am a geek after all but they have an enigma machine!
It doesn’t matter that I didn’t go ‘whoa’, ‘whooo’, or ‘whaooo’ over any of the pieces because the experience of the guide as he slowly moved around the museum and raspily extolled the value of the items made up for it and created a sense of ambiance and the importance that these pieces have for the museum.
It’s interesting, particularly if you are fascinated with the history of the period – or the armed forces. This could be out of the scope for the museum but I would have liked to see some content about the experience of Polish civilians, general background history for the unitiated and an overview of the culture.
Ok that’s a lot of requests, which is probably why they only focus on the one area.
Benjamin Franklin House
July 20, 2009 at 12:26 pm | In General, London, Out and About, Tourism, Travel, UK | Leave a CommentTags: benjamin franklin, benjamin franklin house, embankment, historical experience, London, reenactment, review, Tour, Tourism, Travel, twitter, UK
Located near Embankment and Charing Cross is the Benjamin Franklin House. Where, oddly enough, Benjamin Franklin lived during his (second) time in London. He left hurriedly at the outbreak of the revolution. Franklin and the House acted as the de facto embassy for the colonies in London. During his time in London he lobbied British politicians on behalf of the Americans (with mixed success), continued exploring science and his discourse with the minds of the Enlightenment. All while being a lodger in the house and developing friendships with that family.
The facts of Benjamin Franklin’s life before, during and after his time in the House are explored although understandably it is his time in London that features most prominently in the experience.
The novelty of the House is that it is less a museum and more a theatrical performance. After a brief video setting the scene the audience is greeted by the landlady’s daughter who proceeds to take us through the various rooms of the house, often accompanied by multimedia elements (audio/video) and tells us of ‘her’ and her family’s experience with Franklin.
I was apprehensive about coming to the House, thinking the conceit of the actors would be tacky and unbearable. I was wrong. It was well done, the actress who must do this dozens of times a day gave a great performance and I feel like I’ve developed a greater appreciation for Franklin and the period as a result.
The House is operated by a dedicated group of volunteers and in addition to their website (where you can also download a walking tour podcast) they can also be found on twitter.
It costs about £7 (adult) and runs for approximately and hour.
Masonic Museum
July 20, 2009 at 12:05 pm | In General, London, Out and About, Tourism, Travel, UK, museum | Leave a CommentTags: covent garden, Free, freemasonry, holborn, library, lodge, London, masonic lodge, masonry, museum, review, Tourism, Travel, UK
Set amongst the heart of theatreland is the headquarters of the largest Masonic group in the UK and within its imposing structure is a museum and library.
I think we’ve all heard rumour and innuendo about the Masons. They are our overlords after all and will surely censor this if it doesn’t suit them! Right? So I admit to feeling a little trepidation when entering the building (especially in jeans and t-shirt) but the guards were helpful and after being signed in I was directed upstairs to the library and museum. It’s worthwhile to not that they also have guided tours of the building, check their site for more details.
The museum is at the far end of the library and has display cases showcasing the craft works of the masons (both for practical and ceremonial uses) and a description of the formation of the current Mason’s group, symbols and the construction of its headquarters.
I found the craft work detailed and some of the facts interesting (by law all Norwegian Masons are publicly listed) I unfortunately still came away not knowing who the Masons are and why they developed. I get the impression from the museum that being a Mason might be like a philosophy of enlightenment running parallel with your own religion. Of course I could research this further but I would think the museum should provide that brief overview as well.
Then again I may have just missed that display.
The museum is interesting and free but don’t expect the secrets of the Order to be revealed. Perhaps just another (their) perspective on the Mason’s history.
Also currently on display in the headquarters is a free exhibit on the Masons and the French Revolution. Specifically the impact the revolt had on ’secret societies’ in Britain. It’s reasonable and worth a visit in conjunction with the main museum.
The Big Bus Tour
July 6, 2009 at 11:39 pm | In General, London, Out and About, Tourism, Travel, UK | Leave a CommentTags: big bus tour, bus, fail, London, original bus tour, review, Tour, Tourism, Travel, UK
Recently my parents, sister and her boyfriend visited London and we decided to go on the Big Bus Tour. Perhaps an error in judgement.
Obviously the benefit of these types of tours is the ability to get an overview of a foreign city with the option to jump on or off within a day of purchasing a ticket. However, for those of us who stay on board for the entire 2+hrs (the shorter version) it began to drag. While on the upper deck I could clearly hear the guide but after we had to change buses and I was on the lower deck it became a partially incoherent dialogue.
Speaking of incoherent once we changed buses we also got a new guide and he’d clearly had a rough night what with the slight slur, red eyes and somewhat dishevelled appearance.
Based on my own knowledge of the capital I thought the information was largely accurate and I did pick up on a few things as well. However, there were a few instances when the bus was stuck in traffic and I tried to break the lull by providing anecdotes of the area – something a qualified guide could surely have done.
My other criticisms of the tour were the over use of movie filming locations. Specifically Harry Potter. If I wanted a Harry Potter tour I’d go on one. Secondly, the guide would often be so busy cross promoting some other tour or another that by the time they mentioned something of actual interest we’d already whizzed past it.
Some of you may recall that a few years ago I went on the Original Bus Tour, so of course my memory may be a bit cloudy but if I had to choose one bus tour of London I’d go with the Original over the Big Bus anytime.
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