Celebrating the New Galleries at the Museum of London

The Museum of London, celebrated as one of the world's largest urban history museum, houses over two million objects in its massive collection. On May 2010, the Museum of London unveiled the Galleries of Modern London, a collection of over everyday items spread over five galleries that help tell the story of Londoners beginning with the Great Fire (1666) through to the present.

Professor Jack Lohman, Director of the Museum of London, discussed this £20 million renovations : "The new Galleries of Modern London breathe new life into the Museum, bringing together over 7,000 objects from vehicles, costume, jewelery and paintings. They provide a home for the story of London '" celebrating the unique spirit and energy of the city ahead of the 2012 Olympics. It is thrilling to see this ambitious and complex project realised at last, transforming the Museum and placing it at the heart of the city it celebrates."

Among the historical objects on display in the permanent collection include a 1750s court dress with a two metre-wide skirt that was worn by Ann Fanshawe, a reconstructed Georgian pleasure garden, the Wellclose debtors' prison, the Art Deco lift from Selfridges department store, The Booth Poverty Map: an interactive map highlighting the state of London's poor in the 19th century, a 1930s Lyons Tea House, The Victorian Walk: a recreation of London's Victorian streets, the famous Lord Mayor's State Coach, campaign literature from the suffrage movement, A Model Y Ford from the 1940s, The Minima: a 1920s mini cinema, and war related memorabilia. Only a small percentage of their collections are on display Ongoing lectures, workshops, performances, films, and other ongoing events help bring these exhibits to life.

New commissions to commemorate this opening include LDN24: a bi-annual film commission from The Light Surgeons, depicting 24 hours of the life of the modern city and EnTWINed: a 2010 commission by the Singh twins. Other special exhibits, virtual exhibits and community projects highlight unique aspects of London's history.

The galleries are open Monday through Sunday from 10:00am to 6:00pm with the last admission at 5:30pm. The museum is closed December 24th-26th. Admission is free. For directions and additional information log on to www.museumoflondon.org.uk.

Also, an iPhone app will take the museum's collection out into the Streets of London. Users can pick from over 200 sites where they can view artwork and photographs of how this scene looked like in earlier times. This free application can be download via iTunes. For more details about this app visit
www.museumoflondon.org.uk/streetmuseum.