The British Museum

Its no secret that London has some great museums. Living in the suburbs of the city has its advantages and we regularly try to fit in a daytrip to one of the major attractions during the kids holidays. This time it was the turn of the British Museum which is one of my favorites and always a big hit with the kids. Both my girls were with us this day, along with the eldest's boyfriend who had never been to the British Museum before! 

We started in the Ancient Egyptian collection. 

The museum was absolutely heaving with visitors and it was a struggle to see some of the exhibits, especially the Rosetta Stone which was surrounded by a swirly mass of tourists and tour guides.

We focused on some of the less busy exhibits but when everything on display is this good you're not missing much by staying away from the crowded areas.

I always end up taking a picture of this when we visit. A Pharaoh (probably Ramasess) trampling his enemies under the wheels of his War Chariot. This is a popular image and was used by several Pharaoh's on many buildings as a way of showing themselves as powerful leaders.  

A Topaz covered mask in the mezo-american exhibits.

The main objective of our visit was the Pompeii Exhibition. 

We ended our day at the British Museum visiting the special Pompeii Exhibition. We have done several of these special exhibits before and all have been well worth the special entry price and this was no exception. The items on display were amazing and really helped convey what life was like in a typical Roman town and inside the households of people from a wide range of social positions. The only downside of the exhibit was the presentation. The curators of these special exhibits don't appear to possess the ability of print descriptive labels in anything larger than a 14 point font! The result is that only a couple of people can read the signs at any one time and with an exhibit as popular as this it meant there was a lot of waiting for others to more before you could read anything.

My youngest daughter thoroughly enjoyed looking at all the exhibits and listening to the audio tour that accompanied the displays. Some of the exhibits are understandably gruesome and this being the Romans, a few are quite explicit, but on the whole I don't believe in censoring what my kids learn about. I got a few disapproving looks from other people but I decided years ago that my kids would learn nothing of value if I kept them cosseted and 'protect' them from real life. At the end of the day I asked her if she had enjoyed the exhibits and she gave probably the best reply ever... "Yeh, it was really interesting, but some of it was gross!" 

The Holiday Continues - Rochester

I'm a week into my two week vacation and I'm utterly knackered. Last week I posted a few pictured from our short break in Herne Bay but that was just the opening salvo of my holiday. For the rest of my two weeks off we are going out on day trips but despite being based from home I've not had any time (or spare energy) to fit in any painting or gaming so far. Fortunately there is a Rejects game scheduled for next week and I'm looking forward to that as at the moment it looks like this will be my only chance to play during my break. 

Immediately after returning from our short break it was mine and my wife's wedding Anniversary. We decided to spend some of it in Rochester doing a little book shopping and taking it a little easier after the previous few hectic days. The only problem is we clearly have forgotten how to take it easy because as well as a lot of shopping I also took my daughter into Rochester Castle and climbed the keep with her. It's been a few years since I last did this, and I'm a few stone heavier than then, but I swear they must have added a few floors because it nearly killed me climbing to the top! 

Games and Models of Rochester is a great little shop absolutely packed with stock. Well worth a visit if you are in town. I popped in and picked up a few items and had a nice chat with the owner about the state  of the hobby, how the shop was doing since it opened and about the fate of ModelZone and how it would impact the hobby. 

I took my youngest daughter up the Keep of Rochester Castle. Here in 1215 rebel Barons resisted King John and despite major damage during the siege the Keep remains the tallest in England. Inside the Keep is this model showing how the castle would have looked in its heyday. 

The keep stands 113 feet high and climbing it isn't for the faint of heart, but if you make it to the top the view of Rochester Cathedral and the town is excellent.

Also visible from the castle battlements is the former Russian Hunter Killer class sub "Black Widow". Built in 1967 it saw service until 1994 and was armed with 22 Torpedo's including 2 with low yield nuclear warheads. The current owners hope to reopen it as a museum (see their website here).

I came home with a couple books and some sore feet but overall it was a nice day and a welcome change of pace before visiting the British Museum the following day (pictures of that trip tomorrow). 

Hornby Visitor Centre

The third museum I managed to fit into our recent short holiday was the Hornby Visitor Centre (thanks to Fraxinus for telling me about this). This compact collection features some rare products from the Hornby, Scalextric, Airfix and Corgi archives that will be sure to unearth some cherished childhood memories.

Meccano - At one time it seemed as if every boy in Britain had some

Scalextric was another childhood favorite and there was a big track set up for visitors to play with...great fun!

I had some of these Scalextric Mini's as a kid

All about Humbrol. Not my paint of choice today but it was the first paint I used on my mini's back when I started.

Airfix Lancaster in trouble

A large diorama featuring several Airfix kits showing a Lancaster crew being rescued after ditching 

Plans and materials for a new kit

The tool for injection molding a new kit

There is also a lot of Hornby trains and track on display here (not surprisingly) 

This was an interesting collection and well worth taking the time to visit. I was never much into railways or train sets but if that is your 'thing' you'll love this collection. But with a range of Meccano, Airfix and Scalextric toys on display there is probably something here for everyone. 

RAF Manston History Museum

Following on from yesterdays post here are a few pictures from the RAF Manston History Museum which is actually opposite the Spitfire and Hurricane Memorial Museum which I featured yesterday. The two museums compliment each other ideally and if you get a chance to visit both are well worth exploring.

Replica Sopwith Camel and a Westland Helicopter

Model Fokker DR1 Triplane

Royal Observer Corps

Buccaneer S.2B - Maritime strike aircraft for the Royal Navy

Replica Sopwith 1½ Strutter

Full sized trial version of 'Upkeep' Bouncing Bomb

Gloster Meteor

Westland Wessex prorotype (XL722) built in 1957

Sepecat Jaguar GR.3A

I really enjoyed this little museum, especially as I didn't realise it was here and so it came as a pleasant surprise. There is a nice range of interesting 'large' exhibits here and a nice little gift shop on the way out.