The overall view of the inside of the Museum of Childhood. There are a gift shop and a
cafe at the middle of the first floor of the museum while the exhibitions are at the sides
behind the handrails you can see on the photo.
UK is definitely famous for its great number of museums. There are around two hundred museums just in London alone. And among these two hundred museums the V&A Museum of Childhood is highly recommended. The V&A Museum of Childhood is located at Cambridge Heath Road in London, and it’s convenient to go there by underground and get off at the station Bethnal Green.
Toys throughout the history in the museum. The last two photos are magic lantern slides which were invented and get popular since 1600. And they are the precursors of moving pictures.
The museum is belonged to the Victoria and Albert museum. It housed a remarkable number of objects which are related to childhood since 16th century till today. There are two floors in the museum. The first floor has exhibitions of children’s toys throughout the history while on the second floor holds objects that are related to children’s daily life since hundred years ago.
A baby carriage from 1950s.
It’s hard to not feel like a kid again once you step into the museum and being surrounded by all kinds of toys, children’s clothes and baby carriages. The museum is also a great place to learn about not only the history of the children-related products but also the history in general since children-related products in some level reflect the society at that period.
Display Place (Village) by Rachel Whiteread in the Museum of Childhood.
Apart from the collection of toys and designs for kids, there are art displays and exhibition inspired by childhood going on in the museum. Childhood is the period when people are most creative, so through the objects children use artists are inspired and create some stunning artworks. One of the exhibitions in the museum is a permanent display called Place (Village) by Rachel Whiteread. The display is composed of around 150 doll houses which were collected by Whiteread in over 20 years. All the doll houses were lit from inside but deserted, suggesting an idea of isolation and evoking forgotten memories.
There are also objects related to the childhood from all over the world. For example, the first and second photos show a Chinese Rock Garden from 1780. This model scene is carved from ivory, wood and mother-of-pearl, showing the life in China over 200 years ago.
There are lots of places between exhibitions like this one in the photo above for children to play in the museum. So the museum is not only suitable for adults but also children to visit.
The V&A Museum of Childhood is a museum that is not so serious and suitable for people of all ages. Children can learn the history and form an interest of art while having fun and adults can also learn about the history while they are taken back to their childhood. And this museum is definitely a place worth visiting while you travel in London.
