Exhibitions
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Suburbia-themed walks in Golders Green. More info and to book, click here.
Suburbia explores how public transport helped to create the myths and identity of suburbia and how it has featured in the cultural fabric of London and Britain over the last 100 years.
The exhibition looks at how transport has shaped the suburbs and celebrate suburban lifestyle, architecture, design and popular culture through a series of unique displays. Mixing fun, fact and a little bit of fantasy to rejoice in a place that we collectively continue to love and hate.
Previously unseen posters, photographs, early publicity material, signs and maps will give a historic context, supported by film and interviews with suburbanites past and present. Suburbia displays complement the Museum's permanent gallery which tells the story of the early 20th century Suburban Dream.
The look of the suburbs is explored through images of domestic and commercial architecture and gardens, shown alongside pictures of the railway and Underground stations built to serve them. The gallery explores the changing building styles which define the suburban experience - along with film, drawings, plans, 'before and after' photographs, recently acquired toys and games to complete the picture.
The tricks of the trade of early estate agent spin doctors is highlighted in a gallery focused on property advertising. Find out how Tube stations got their names and discover how the cartoonists of the day responded to these early marketing techniques. A suburban lifestyle gallery looks at defining influences such as fashion, West End shopping, interior design, pastimes, hobbies, music, television and film.
Coming soon: Overground Uncovered
29 May 2010 to 31 March 2011 - Overground Uncovered: life along the line, celebrates the new London Overground line - London's first major public transport development for over ten years. The exhibition explores over 160 years of history and innovation behind the building of the new line and Brunel's Thames Tunnel, and provides a snapshot of cultural highlights along the way.
The exhibition is presented in three galleries, Connecting Communities, The Thames Tunnel and A new train set for London.
Connecting Communities
The new line runs along some of the oldest and most fascinating areas of London. Using photographs, posters from the Museum's collection of iconic graphic art, and objects from the past, this gallery highlights local curiosities, and juxtaposes the old with the new to give a lively introduction to the history and attractions of the areas along the line.
The Thames Tunnel
The epic story of the building of the Thames Tunnel between 1825 and 1843 by the famous 19th century engineer Marc Brunel and his son Isambard Kingdom Brunel, and its subsequent but short-lived life as a major tourist attraction is told in this gallery.
A new train set for London
The science behind the new technology of the London Overground is made simple with time lapse video footage showing the construction of the new trains, John Sturrock's striking photography - which documents the development of the line, and time lapse photography showing the construction of the new bridge at Shoreditch. Sitting alongside a graphic representation of the orbital railway, the Top Trumps exhibit compares the features of the new trains with the old steam locomotives of the 1970s, whilst The Regeneration Game explains the green technology behind the innovative and energy efficient regenerative braking system.
Coming soon: Summer of Cycling Exhibition
Whoever you are and wherever you look a revolution is taking place. Cycling is quickly becoming a part of the fabric of everyday life in London. During summer 2010, Transport for London will join the revolution with the launch of its Cycle Superhighways and Cycle Hire Schemes. In conjunction with these programmes, London Transport Museum and the Association of Illustrators (AOI) are hosting an illustration competition and exhibition on cycling.
Students and professionals are invited to submit illustrations that demonstrate the environmental, health and/or recreational benefits of cycling. The top three entries will receive a monetary award and may be used in an advertising campaign. More details about the competition can be found on the AOI website. The top 50 entries will be featured in an exhibition here at the London Transport Museum from 5 July to 22 August 2010.
The Museum will also be hosting a number of workshops and programmes related to cycle use and safety during the exhibition.
Coming soon: Remembering the Blitz
September to December 2010 - To commemorate the 70th anniversary of the beginning of the London Blitz, we are working with museums in Dresden and Coventry to bring a unique approach to commemorating the aerial bombardment in the three cities.
Remembering the Blitz will focus on the role of public transport in helping to create a sense of normality for the three cities during the Second World War. In particular, the exhibition will seek to explore the areas of commonality, as well as difference, to convey the shared experience of people from all walks of life - irrespective of nationality.
The exhibition will explore some of the myths and reality of the wartime experience and review the changing nature of popular memory in relation the Blitz attacks in England and the Firestorm in Dresden. A series of unique displays will show how each city prepared for war and the contrasting role of their transport systems; in London and Coventry, public transport evacuated children and others out of the city, whilst in Dresden, the city itself was regarded as a shelter with transport bringing refugees into the centre.
Visitors will be encouraged to consider the effect of the bombing campaigns and reflect on the part played by transport in keeping the cities moving and in bolstering public morale in the face of attack.