Museum of London Docklands

Toddler Pangloss and I went on a jaunt today. Rucksacks packed, galoshes on, Kendal Mint Cake in pockets and walking sticks at hand. We yomped down to Woolwich - oh what a day out that would be. Not on your nellie. We took the DLR train from Woolwich Arsenal to West India Quay to visit the Museum of London Docklands.

I'd rarely visited the Isle of Dogs which is plain silly as it is so close and I am actually fascinated by the whole development. In the late eighties, I visited the Design Museum at Shad Thames and had to travel back to Greater East London. My journey involved what was the new Docklands Light Railway which, at the time, seemed pointless and bleak as it travelled through an endless landscape of rubble. It does seem amazing that this mini Manhattan has grown so quickly.

Anyway, this museum was recommended to me by another local parent - let's just call him Jason Bourne for now. Bourne's intel hasn't let me down yet and I had to check this place out. I loved it. I never thought I'd enjoy an exhibition about the history of the Isle of Dogs but the museum is so well designed and professional that I'm hooked. Modern museums have a tendency to go all-out interactive, but the MoLD is fairly restrained on this part and all the better for it as I think interactives can dumb-down learning to suit the Playstation generation. The museum has incorporated a couple of small mock-Victorian streets, which are really well designed and very atmospheric. This reminds me; I must visit Dickens World this year.

Toddler Pangloss seemed to enjoy himself too. There are lots of models to look at and it was an exciting task for me to answer the barrage of "what's that?" questions.

It only cost me £5.00 to go into the museum, but it gets better as this £5.00 ticket lasts for a whole year!!!!!! So I can visit as many times as I want in the next twelve months. Incredible value. I really do urge everyone to visit the MoLD, whether you love history, looking at amazing models or fancy pretending to be a Victorian street urchin (well, takes all sorts).