During the half-term holiday at the end of October, families who visit the London Transport Museum can discover another side to London by joining in activities inspired by the secret lives of some of the city's residents.
Activities available will range from finding out about the antics of London's nocturnal wildlife to weird and wonderful jobs on London's transport network. This is a hidden side of London life that will be revealed by movement workshops, ‘make and take' craft activities, and a family trail around the Museum's galleries.
Movement workshops
- Using imaginative dance and movement workshops, these will give visitors the chance to learn about London's urban wildlife, from the sly, bushy-tailed red fox to the hooting, swooping tawny owl, and to see the city from their perspective.
Bat-tastic crafts
- A protected Daubenton species of bats resides in closed-off tunnels at the disused Highgate station. These creative ‘make and take' craft workshops celebrate London's bat population, teach visitors about them, and give them the chance to make bat-inspired masks to take home with them.
Family Trail
- On the Family Trail, visitors can follow a trail through the Museum's galleries, passing around heritage buses and trains, iconic transport posters, and quirky objects. Stops on the trail allow visitors to discover a ‘hidden job' on the transport network.
Unusual object handling
- There are many weird and wonderful jobs on London's transport network. Here, visitors can meet some of the people behind them, examine mystery objects linked to the unusual roles, and find out about the stories they reveal about life in London.
In the Global Gallery at the Museum, the award-winning Hidden London exhibition explains more about the protected bat colony at the disused Highgate station and other secret locations on the transport network.
As well as the trials and exhibitions, there are real buses, Tube trains, and maps spanning 200 years of the capital's transport history. In the ‘Future Engineers' gallery there is the chance to learn how to drive a modern-day Elizabeth Line train, whilst in the ‘All Aboard' play zone children can enjoy themselves climbing aboard a range of child-sized London vehicles.
As a break from exploring the museum, Canteen, which is the Museum's cafe by popular eatery Benugo, is open between 11.00 and 15.00 for a bite to eat. The Museum also has a shop with a selection of exclusive transport-inspired toys, gifts, homeware, poster artwork, and games.
The family activities will run from Saturday, 22nd to Sunday, 30th October. Adult tickets to the museum cost £21, children go free, and they include free return entry to the Museum for a whole year.
Tickets can be booked in advance online at www.ltmusem.co.uk
