New Hidden London exhibition launch party

London Transport Museum is kicking off its series of Friday Lates with a special launch party in celebration of its new Hidden London exhibition which opens to the public on Friday 11 October 2019. Guests to the opening night will be among the first to see this latest exhibition which explores untold stories from the past and the many secrets that lurk beneath our streets in these long forgotten London Underground spaces belonging to the oldest subterranean railway in the world. 

With a cocktail in hand, visitors will get to meet the brains behind the Hidden London tour programme and gain behind-the-scenes insights from experienced tour guides and researchers, all in a relaxed and fun-filled Friday night atmosphere. 

As well as enjoying gallery tours of the Museum, expert talks on subjects such as Art deco, object handling and a Museum scavenger hunt, visitors can test their knowledge of London at the quiz, join in with creative crafts such as mosaic making and 3D collages, and mingle among the Museum’s collection after hours with music and drinks from the pop-up bar. 
 

Highlights at the Friday Late include

• For one night only Hidden London tour guides share their secrets while guests enjoy a tour of the Hidden London exhibition.
• Listen to a talk about The Making Of Hidden London. Get an exclusive behind-the-scenes insight with the creators of the Hidden London tours and writers of the newly released Hidden London book. See photographs of long abandoned spaces and hear the stories that come to the surface when you dig deep into underground history. With Siddy Holloway, Hidden London Engagement Manager, and Chris Nix, Assistant Director: Collections and Engagement, London Transport Museum. 
• Discover London’s first skyscraper and other Art deco gems of London architecture with an illustrated talk that will take you inside Charles Holden’s 55 Broadway and explore some fascinating architectural discoveries. Speaker Oliver Green is a Research Fellow for London Transport Museum and a freelance historian and curator, who has published several books on transport history, art, design, and architecture.
• Get hands on at the Museum’s Object Handling station and discover close up quirky aspects of the Museum’s collection, with knowledgeable London Transport Museum volunteers.  
• Make your own 3D reveal collages, creating pictures of contemporary London with three-dimensional windows into the past. This art workshop is run by the Bedroom Collective.
• Make your own mosaics to take home, inspired by the intricate tile designs of London Underground stations. This art workshop is led by artist Fran Herrick.
• Test your knowledge and win Hidden London tour tickets in Geoff Marshall’s exclusive Secrets of London quiz. Geoff is a videographer, author and the man who visited All The Stations in the UK in 2017.
• Take part in a scavenger hunt and discover layers of history in the Museum galleries.
• Dance to the Museum’s DJ’s selection of hidden gems and London anthems.
• Treat yourself to a Hidden London themed cocktail from the Museum’s pop-up bar. 
   

The fun continues into next year with a series of Hidden London 2020 Museum Lates inspired by the new exhibition. Guests will enjoy talks, tours, craft workshops, quizzes and drinks at the evening events below. 

The Night on the Tiles Friday Late (28 February 2020) explores the rich nightlife of London through the ages from Victorian music halls and night clubs, to subcultures which have influenced London and the world.

The Blackout Friday Late (22 May 2020) looks at how stations and tunnels served as air-raid shelters in the Second World War. Guests get to print their very own anti-war propaganda on an original 1940s printing press. 

The Get Lost Friday Late (18 September 2020) uncovers London’s secret tunnels, overgrown railway tracks and lost rivers. This event invites guests to turn off their smartphones and rediscover the ‘art of getting lost’.

The Subterranea Friday Late (30 October 2020) will take guests on a ‘trip’ underground with a Halloween twist! Hear about myths and ghost stories of the Underground and explore the ways death surfaces into our lives through rituals and stories. Journalist Erica Buist talks about how she travelled to seven death festivals in Mexico and other countries to learn how different cultures confront mortality.