As I mentioned in my previous London post, money was a bit of an issue, so we needed to find a source of entertainment that was cheap and close to our abode. I had a little looky on the internet and stumbled upon the V&A Museum of Childhood. I always love checking toy museums, plus its admission is free and its location in Bethnal Green made it an obvious choice!
I checked a few childhood museums in my travellings (I still haven't visited the Irish one, located in Powerscourt, though): the one in Edinburgh which is brilliant, full of old creepy toys (check Hannah Hayes' beautiful blog for photographic evidence). I remember being impressed by one of the doll's houses, the quantity of tiny objects collected over the years by its owner was mesmerizing. She even managed to get hold of miniature toilet paper.
The other museum I visited was in Malmö, but it was a bit on the rubbish side unless you get excited about vintage Happy Meal toys. And then when I was small, I adored the Children's Museum in Brussels. It is a must-see if you have a family, your kids will love it as it is very interactive.
The V&A Museum of Childhood did not disappoint, it was the perfect balance between vintage and modern toys, coming from different horizons and cultures.
My favourite part was the windows dedicated to mechanical toys although it was kind of frustrating not being able to witness all their little stunts and tricks.
I examined the doll house on the ground floor of the exhibiton for ages as it's gigornomous, it even has its own water and power supply. Look below for all the amazing little details, like the rocking horse and the vacuum!
I was told that there were more doll stuff on the 1st floor, but unfortunately, I didn't make it before closing time. Hopefully, there will be a next trip!
21 comments:
Wow, I wish that they had this when I was in London! I love how nostalgic and soft everything is. Your photos are beautiful as well!
Museums are so much fun! Honestly don't remember the last time I went to one :(
These photos look so much fun! So happy you enjoyed.
Ohhh how lovely!! Pretty much anything old and pretty gets high marks from me, and these totally fit the bill!
@Stephanie: it is a permanent museum so hopefully you'll get the chance to visit next time you're in London ;) thank you for comment!
@Stephanie Lula: i always like checking a few when I'm abroad but it's a delicate balance because one can reach museum overload quickly! What are the museums like in South Korea? x
@Kelli: hey there! i was wondering if you had disappeared :)did you find a solution to your problem? I'm a sucker for old stuff as well, I'm pretty sure my flat could pass as an old person's flat :D x
Ohhhh I have a sort of fear of those old childhood toys (I know, weird!!), but that dollhouse is incredibly neat!
I'd love to go to the V&A, I really wanted to see the Wizard of Oz exhibition last year, sadly I didn't get a chance. This one looks great though, I didn't know there was one in Ireland, I must look into visiting it!
Emma x
Ooh, too bad I didn't know about this when I was in London last week! The doll miniatures look so interesting.
@Louise: haha i guess it's lucky i skipped the creepiest ones (some crazy looking jack-in-the-boxes). For me, the creepier, the better :D (hope you won't mind my next post) x
@Emma: I think I have a curse with the v&a (the main building in kensington), i've been meaning to visit the place for ages(this year there was an exhibition on Bowie!) but somehow I can never make it happen :( x
@Bridget: Ooh I hope you had a nice time in Europe though! x
I've never actually been in any toy museums, I hadn't realised they were a widespread thing! I reckon I'll have to try visit one now, it looks super interesting and it does give off a bit of a fascinating creepy vibe.
@Jane: don't you have one in Sydney? I'd be curious to know what the australian toys are like! x
Nope, didn't disappear! Just super busy ending my au pair job, starting a new job, sorting my visa stuff, and eloping! i will write about all of these things in due time, promise. glad to see you're posting more often again :)
eloping? Oh my ;) Congrats on the new job! Glad you seemed to have escaped this administrative tunnel x
I really like your photos and blog is also good! :)
magdalena-antonina.blogspot.com
thank you very much! x
Lovely photos! How I'd like to visit! :)
@danielle: thank you! x
I like how you photographed the dolls house and made a collage of it. Great idea. I've been to the museum once, with my god-daughter and her little sister, so I had fun looking at all the displays and they had fun in all the play areas. It's a great place to visit.
@Annika B: it is! unfortunately i didn't get to try the games on display but my boyfriend got stuck on building a robot, i think he enjoyed himself if you don't count the mini nervous breakdown haha. Thanks for your comment x
Alright, after this post I just have to follow your blog. You make me want to visit London so badly! I didn't even know there were amazing places like these! <3
Oh man, this place looks totally magical. I love picking up old toys at estate sales and flea markets. The really beat-up-looking ones always tug at my heartstrings.
@Kasia: I may be biased but London has just the best stuff to do/visit. Thank you x
@Christy: ooh i haven't seen good old toys in a flea market in ages! Where are you from? x
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