Families visiting London Transport Museum over February half-term can explore a brand new exhibition that celebrates the generations of Caribbean people that have shaped London’s transport history and culture, and join family activities inspired by its themes.
Bus conductor Agatha Claudette Hart, 1962 copyright TfL
Legacies: London Transport’s Caribbean Workforce will open on 11 February and features the stories of first, second and third generation Caribbean people, from those who worked for London Transport in the 1950s and 1960s to today’s TfL employees. Visitors can learn about their experiences through new films, archive photography, historic advertising posters, and never-before-displayed objects.
Women at Baker Street Canteen, 1968 copyright TfL
Families will be able to explore the content of the exhibition through a fun flag exhibit that asks younger visitors to guess the Caribbean nation belonging to each flag, while family-friendly labels will help children to think about the experiences of the people that made London their new home. A new QR code will enable further learning about the themes of the exhibition, taking visitors to a special page of family content on London Transport Museum’s website.
Family Fun
12-20 February
From 12-20 February daily, families will be able to participate in activities inspired by the exhibition. Young visitors can take part in an imaginative storytelling session about Gabrielle - the grandchild of a London Transport worker who first travelled from Jamaica to London in the 1950s. Join Gabrielle on a journey of self-discovery as she unravels her family history, learns about the experience of those who travelled from the Caribbean islands to London to start a new life, and finds inspiration in these stories to face daunting changes in her own life. Suitable for children aged 7 and under, sessions will run at 11.00, 12.00, 13.00, 14.30, 15.30 (lasting 20 minutes approx) 12-20 February daily.
Families can also get creative designing a poster to celebrate London Transport’s Caribbean Workforce, inspired by everything they’ve seen and heard in the exhibition. Suitable for 3-12 year olds, young visitors can draw or use collage to create their imaginative designs that can be taken home or put up on a poster display wall at the Museum for other visitors to enjoy. Drop in sessions from 10:30-16:00, 12-20 February daily.
SEND Explorer sessions
Sunday 13 February (morning - 8:30-10am)
Saturday 19 February (evening - 6:15-7:45pm)
Advanced booking required due to limited places. Visitors should call +44 (0)343 222 5000 to book.
For families with special educational needs and/or disability. Families can explore the Museum at a quieter time, free from the general public. Many of the gallery sounds are switched off, making the Museum a peaceful place to be. Children can explore the All Aboard family galleries, take part in a storytelling session and poster design activity inspired by the new Legacies exhibition, and get hands on with genuine parts of transport history through an Object Handling trolley.
During a visit to London Transport Museum families can also:
· See historic buses, trams and Tube trains from London’s past.
· Visit the Future Engineers gallery and get hands-on with interactive exhibits. Try out a palm scanner – the latest in ticketing technology, ‘drive’ a modern Elizabeth line train, and see your face on the cover of The Engineer magazine.
· See a life-size recreation of the tunnelling shield that helped create the world’s first electric Tube railway in the Digging Deeper gallery and learn about the history of tunnelling, from the feats of Victorian engineering pioneer James Greathead, to modern day Crossrail.
· Explore the All Aboard family play zone where young visitors can play conductor on a bus, repair a mini Tube train with toy spanners, and work in the ‘Lost Property Office’
All February half term activities take place at London Transport Museum, Covent Garden Piazza.
Kids go free. Adult tickets cost £18.50 and offer free return daytime entry for a whole year. Book Museum entry in advance online at ltmusem.co.uk.
The latest information about coronavirus safety measures can be found on the Museum’s website.