Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
over the past 50 years. An audio guide is included in the admission price, and activity
trails are available at the entrance (and from the website). Children under 16 must
be accompanied by an adult.
Morgan's Lane, Tooley St., SE1.
&
020/7940-6300.
http://hmsbelfast.iwm.org.uk. Admission £12.95
adults, £10.40 seniors and students, £6.50 unemployed, free for children under 16. Mar-Oct daily 10am-
6pm (last admission 4pm); Nov-Feb 10am-5pm (last admission 4pm). Tube: London Bridge.
Imperial War Museum London
MUSEUM From 1814 to 1930, this
deceptively elegant, domed building was the Bethlehem Royal Hospital, an old-style
“madhouse,” where the “patients” formed part of a Victorian freak show—visitors
could pay a penny to go and stare at the lunatics. (The hospital's name since entered
the language as “Bedlam,” a slang expression for chaos and confusion.) Thankfully,
civilization has moved on in its treatment of the mentally ill, although as this museum
shows, nations are still as capable of cruelty and organized madness as they ever were.
The great, gung-ho 38-cm (15-in.) naval guns parked outside the entrance give an
indication of what you can expect in the main hall. This is the boys' toys section with
a whole fleet of tanks, planes, and missiles on display (including a Battle of Britain
Spitfire, a V2 rocket, and a German one-man submarine), and plenty of interactivity
for the kids, with cockpits to climb into and touch-screen terminals to explore.
After the initial bombast, however, comes a selection of thoughtful, sobering exhib-
its, focusing on the human cost of war. These include galleries exploring life during
World Wars I and II—both on the battlefield and at home—a new gallery celebrating
exploits of supreme valor, “Extraordinary Heroes,” and the “Secret War” exhibition
which looks at the use of duplicity, subterfuge, and spying in wartime.
On the upper floors, things become more thoughtful still. The third floor provides
an intense account of the Holocaust, examining the first attempt to apply modern
industrial techniques to the destruction of people. And, just to remind you that this
is not an evil that has been permanently consigned to history, the “Crimes against
Humanity” exhibition explores modern genocides. Its central exhibit is a harrowing
30-minute film. These two galleries are not recommended for children under 14.
Lambeth Rd., SE1.
&
020/7416-5000
(info line). http://london.iwm.org.uk. Free admission. Daily
10am-6pm. Tube: Lambeth North or Elephant and Castle.
London Dungeon
MUSEUM Set beneath the arches of London Bridge
Station, this is a sort of hi-tech haunted house aimed squarely at children and teenag-
ers to whom it delivers a series of “safe” shocks, themed (very loosely) on events and
legends from London's history. A list of some of the dungeon's current “scenes” should
give you an idea of what to expect: “Great Plague & Surgery: Blood & Guts,” “Jack
the Ripper,” and “Extremis: Drop Ride to Doom.”
You'll find it either a terrible piece of kitsch, overpriced nonsense, or a glorious
exercise in Grand Guignol-lite—probably depending on your age. It's certainly all very
tongue-in-cheek, although you should use discretion with very young children.
28-34 Tooley St., SE1.
&
020/7403-7221.
www.the-dungeons.co.uk. Admission £23 adults (£13 online,
off-peak price), £21 students and seniors (£11 online, off-peak price), £17 children 5-14 (£11 online, off-
peak price), free for children 4 and under. Times vary; the dungeon is open daily, typically 10am-5pm,
but stays open later (till 6:30 or 7pm) during the school holidays. Tube: London Bridge.
London Eye
OBSERVATION POINT The largest observation wheel in
Europe, the London Eye has become, just over a decade after it opened, a potent icon
of the capital, as clearly identified with London as the Eiffel Tower is with Paris. And
indeed, it performs much the same function—giving people the chance to observe
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