Museum of London Docklands
Museum of London Docklands
No. 1 Warehouse
West India Quay
Hertsmere Road
London
Greater London
E14 4AL
England
Website
www.museumoflondon.org.uk/docklands
Box office
Telephone
Box office
020 7001 9844
Recorded Information line
020 7001 9844
From Roman settlement to the development of Canary Wharf, this 200 year old warehouse reveals the long history of the capital as a port through stories of trade, migration and commerce.
Venue Type:
Museum
The entire collection of the Museum of London Docklands is a Designated Collection of national importance.
The collection consists of objects reflecting the social history of the Thames and London's port, including archaeological finds, works of art, scale models, contemporary tools and many miscellaneous items that would have been traded through the port.
Collections also include the Sainsbury Archive, a collection of documents, artefacts and photographs relating to the history of the food retailing company founded by John James and Mary Ann Sainsbury in 1869.
Collection details
World Cultures, Weapons and War, Trade and Commerce, Social History, Maritime, Inland Waterways, Industry, Archaeology
Key artists and exhibits
- William Ware
- Designated Collection
Take Another Look
The extraordinary collection of Leslie Braine Ikomi is the inspiration for this reflection on the visual representation of Black people in history.
Suitable for
- Any age
Where
Museum of London Docklands
Estuary
Estuary uses visual art to explore the outer limits of the Thames, where the river becomes the sea. In particular, it looks at London’s ambivalent relationship with the wilderness on its doorstep. It threatens to swamp the city with tidal surges and rising sea levels but is itself threatened by the capital’s transport and energy generating proposals. The exhibition will present work by prominent London artists, including a new commission by a leading practitioner, in conjunction with historical material. It will create a sense of place, use the river to meditate on London’s history, and touch upon the current debates surrounding the Estuary and its future.
Suitable for
- Family friendly
Where
Museum of London Docklands
Website
http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/Docklands/Whats-on/Exhibitions-Displays/
Music and movement
Join us for our monthly music and movement session then come and play in Mudlarks afterwards! This session is for children and their parents and carers. Younger siblings are welcome.
Minimum age: 1
Suitable for
- Family friendly
When
11-11:45am
Admission
FREE advanced booking required
Music and movement
Join us for our monthly music and movement session then come and play in Mudlarks afterwards! This session is for children and their parents and carers. Younger siblings are welcome.
Minimum age: 1
Suitable for
- Family friendly
When
10-10:45am
Admission
FREE advanced booking required
Under 5s storytime
Join us in our galleries for a fun and interactive story, told using puppets, museum objects and music - then come and play in Mudlarks children's gallery if you have energy to spare!
Minimum age: 1
Suitable for
- Family friendly
When
3-3:30pm
Admission
FREE advanced booking required
Billy Jenkins: a pirate's life for me
Learn the truth about life in the old port of London and on the high seas when you meet our pirate Billy Jenkins.
Minimum age: 5
Suitable for
- Family friendly
When
3:30-4pm
Admission
Free
Billy Jenkins: a pirate's life for me
Learn the truth about life in the old port of London and on the high seas when you meet our pirate Billy Jenkins.
Minimum age: 5
Suitable for
- Family friendly
When
2:30-3pm
Admission
Free
Billy Jenkins: a pirate's life for me
Learn the truth about life in the old port of London and on the high seas when you meet our pirate Billy Jenkins.
Minimum age: 5
Suitable for
- Family friendly
When
12:30-1pm
Admission
Free
Docklands Cinema Club: The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005) 26 May, 2-4pm
Tommy Lee Jones' directorial debut follows the story of Pete Perkins, a ranch foreman in the high desert of west Texas who kidnaps a Border Patrolman before undertaking a dangerous and quixotic journey into Mexico. Inspired by the real-life killing in Texas of an American teenager Esequiel Hernandez Jr by United States Marines during a military operation near the Mexican border.
Suitable for
When
2-4pm
Admission
Free
Little Mudlarks toddlers group: Gallery visit
Learn, play and explore together every Monday during term-time in this fun, hands-on and creative session for toddlers (walkers - 5 years) and carers. Explore our Mudlarks gallery and soft play area then come on a journey around our galleries and have fun exploring together.
Suitable for
- Family friendly
When
10-10:50am
Admission
FREE advanced booking required
Little Mudlarks toddlers group: Gallery visit
Learn, play and explore together every Monday during term-time in this fun, hands-on and creative session for toddlers (walkers - 5 years) and carers. Explore our Mudlarks gallery and soft play area then come on a journey around our galleries and have fun exploring together.
Suitable for
- Family friendly
When
11-11:50am
Admission
FREE advanced booking required
Mudlarks on the River Thames
Create your very own River Thames and become a Victorian Mudlark, discovering what is hidden above and beneath the muddy banks of the river. A creative session for Under 5s and their carers (older siblings welcome).
Minimum age: 1
Suitable for
- Family friendly
When
1:30-2:30pm
Admission
FREE advanced booking required
Mudlarks on the River Thames
Create your very own River Thames and become a Victorian Mudlark, discovering what is hidden above and beneath the muddy banks of the river. A creative session for Under 5s and their carers (older siblings welcome).
Minimum age: 1
Suitable for
- Family friendly
When
11am-12pm
Admission
FREE advanced booking required
John Taylor and the boat of paper
John Taylor was a poet and a waterman on the Thames. He was always looking for ways to make money and became an adventurer. Hear how he would perform weird and wonderful dare-devil acts in return for sponsorship including his attempt to travel down the Thames in a boat made of brown paper.
Minimum age: 5
Suitable for
- Family friendly
When
12:30-1pm
Admission
FREE advanced booking required
John Taylor and the boat of paper
John Taylor was a poet and a waterman on the Thames. He was always looking for ways to make money and became an adventurer. Hear how he would perform weird and wonderful dare-devil acts in return for sponsorship including his attempt to travel down the Thames in a boat made of brown paper.
Minimum age: 5
Suitable for
- Family friendly
When
2:30-3pm
Admission
FREE advanced booking required
John Taylor and the boat of paper
John Taylor was a poet and a waterman on the Thames. He was always looking for ways to make money and became an adventurer. Hear how he would perform weird and wonderful dare-devil acts in return for sponsorship including his attempt to travel down the Thames in a boat made of brown paper.
Minimum age: 5
Suitable for
- Family friendly
When
3:30-4pm
Admission
FREE advanced booking required
Explore the estuary
Create your own digital images using inspiration from the Thames Estuary.
Minimum age: 5
Suitable for
- Family friendly
When
2:30-3:30pm
Admission
FREE advanced booking required
Explore the estuary
Create your own digital images using inspiration from the Thames Estuary.
Minimum age: 5
Suitable for
- Family friendly
When
12:30-1:30pm
Admission
FREE advanced booking required
Frost Fairs on the Thames
Can you imagine a time when winters in Britain were so cold that the river Thames froze over solidly and people enjoyed festivals on it? Come along and create your own chilly spectacle!
Minimum age: 5
Suitable for
- Family friendly
When
2:30-3:30pm
Admission
Free
Frost Fairs on the Thames
Can you imagine a time when winters in Britain were so cold that the river Thames froze over solidly and people enjoyed festivals on it? Come along and create your own chilly spectacle!
Minimum age: 5
Suitable for
- Family friendly
When
12:30-1:30pm
Admission
Free
Billy Jenkins: a pirate's life for me
Learn the truth about life in the old port of London and on the high seas when you meet our pirate Billy Jenkins.
Minimum age: 5
Suitable for
- Family friendly
When
3:30-4pm
Admission
Free
Billy Jenkins: a pirate's life for me
Learn the truth about life in the old port of London and on the high seas when you meet our pirate Billy Jenkins.
Minimum age: 5
Suitable for
- Family friendly
When
2:30-3pm
Admission
Free
Billy Jenkins: a pirate's life for me
Learn the truth about life in the old port of London and on the high seas when you meet our pirate Billy Jenkins.
Minimum age: 5
Suitable for
- Family friendly
When
12:30-1pm
Admission
Free
Little Mudlarks toddlers group: Gallery visit
Learn, play and explore together every Monday during term-time in this fun, hands-on and creative session for toddlers (walkers - 5 years) and carers. Explore our Mudlarks gallery and soft play area then come on a journey around our galleries and have fun exploring together.
Suitable for
- Family friendly
When
10-10:50am
Admission
FREE advanced booking required
Little Mudlarks toddlers group: Gallery visit
Learn, play and explore together every Monday during term-time in this fun, hands-on and creative session for toddlers (walkers - 5 years) and carers. Explore our Mudlarks gallery and soft play area then come on a journey around our galleries and have fun exploring together.
Suitable for
- Family friendly
When
11-11:50am
Admission
FREE advanced booking required
Mini Mudlarks babies group
Learn, play and explore together every Monday during term-time. This session is for babies (aged 6 months-walking) and their carers and includes sensory, hands-on and play based activities for you and your baby to enjoy together.
Minimum age: 0
Suitable for
- Family friendly
When
12:45-1:45pm
Admission
FREE advanced booking required
Under 5s storytime
Join us in our galleries for a fun and interactive story, told using puppets, museum objects and music - then come and play in Mudlarks children's gallery if you have energy to spare!
Minimum age: 1
Suitable for
- Family friendly
When
3-3:30pm
Admission
FREE advanced booking required
The East End Art Scene: A Cycling Tour with Neil Cummings
Meet outside the Museum of London Docklands and head out along the Regents Canal and River Lea to explore how former industrial warehouses, art and finance flow together in the economy of the Thames. The Museum of London Docklands collection includes paintings featured on the Your Paintings website.
Suitable for
- Any age
- Family friendly
When
2-6pm
Admission
£15.00. Book in advance 020 7001 9844.
Little Mudlarks toddlers group: Gallery visit
Learn, play and explore together every Monday during term-time in this fun, hands-on and creative session for toddlers (walkers - 5 years) and carers. Explore our Mudlarks gallery and soft play area then come on a journey around our galleries and have fun exploring together.
Suitable for
- Family friendly
When
11-11:50am
Admission
FREE advanced booking required
Little Mudlarks toddlers group: Gallery visit
Learn, play and explore together every Monday during term-time in this fun, hands-on and creative session for toddlers (walkers - 5 years) and carers. Explore our Mudlarks gallery and soft play area then come on a journey around our galleries and have fun exploring together.
Suitable for
- Family friendly
When
10-10:50am
Admission
FREE advanced booking required
Mini Mudlarks babies group
Learn, play and explore together every Monday during term-time. This session is for babies (aged 6 months-walking) and their carers and includes sensory, hands-on and play based activities for you and your baby to enjoy together.
Minimum age: 0
Suitable for
- Family friendly
When
12:45-1:45pm
Admission
FREE advanced booking required
Britain and the legacies of slavery
Once abolition was secured, Britons were keen to overlook slavery and emphasise the memory of emancipation. But Britain and Britons benefitted in multiple ways from slavery. By focusing on the role of the many slave-owners who lived here, should British history be reconsidered to take slavery into full account?
Suitable for
When
1:15-2pm
Admission
Free
Traditional crafts
Do you know how to make felt, jewellery or traditional Bengali art work and fabric designs? Join us to watch demonstrations and have a go yourself.
Minimum age: 5
Suitable for
- Family friendly
When
11am-4pm
Admission
Free
Under 5s storytime
Join us in our galleries for a fun and interactive story, told using puppets, museum objects and music - then come and play in Mudlarks children's gallery if you have energy to spare!
Minimum age: 1
Suitable for
- Family friendly
When
3-3:30pm
Admission
FREE advanced booking required
Bring your grandparents day
We know how much all you grandparents do for your families. Please come along today for some events to say thank you and grandparents will receive 20% off all sandwiches in our café. See individual events listings for details.
Suitable for
- Family friendly
When
10am-6pm
Admission
Free
Westminster women Walk
In the centenary year of Suffragette Emily Davidson's death, explore in and around Parliament Square. Hear about the sacrifices Emily and her colleagues made in their quest for the campaign of Votes for Women.
Suitable for
When
11am-1pm
Admission
Fee £10 (concs £8, Friends £7) book in advance 020 7001 944
Little Mudlarks toddlers group: Gallery visit
Learn, play and explore together every Monday during term-time in this fun, hands-on and creative session for toddlers (walkers - 5 years) and carers. Explore our Mudlarks gallery and soft play area then come on a journey around our galleries and have fun exploring together.
Suitable for
- Family friendly
When
10-10:50am
Admission
FREE advanced booking required
Little Mudlarks toddlers group: Gallery visit
Learn, play and explore together every Monday during term-time in this fun, hands-on and creative session for toddlers (walkers - 5 years) and carers. Explore our Mudlarks gallery and soft play area then come on a journey around our galleries and have fun exploring together.
Suitable for
- Family friendly
When
11-11:50am
Admission
FREE advanced booking required
Mini Mudlarks babies group: Musical Mondays
Sing, rhyme and play together in this special monthly musical session as part of our Mini Mudlarks babies group (6 months-walkers and carers).
Minimum age: 0
Suitable for
- Family friendly
When
12:45-1:45pm
Admission
FREE advanced booking required
Housing for the people: Old Nichol to New Boundary Street Walk
Join Mike Moran, City highlights, for a tour evoking the terrible living conditions in one of East London’s most notorious slums. Learn about its bold and ambitious redevelopment as one of the finest examples of Victorian social housing.
Suitable for
When
11am-1pm
Admission
Fee £10 (concs £8, Friends £7) book in advance 020 7001 944
Docklands Cinema Club: In This World (2002)
Enayat and Jamal are Afghan refugees who live in a camp in Peshawar. The film follows their attempted escape along the ‘silk road’ through Pakistan, Iran and Turkey towards London. Filmed on handheld digital cameras with a cast of non-professional actors, In This World is a semi-fictional docu-drama by celebrated film director Michael Winterbottom.
Suitable for
When
2-4pm
Admission
Free
Little Mudlarks toddlers group: Gallery visit
Learn, play and explore together every Monday during term-time in this fun, hands-on and creative session for toddlers (walkers - 5 years) and carers. Explore our Mudlarks gallery and soft play area then come on a journey around our galleries and have fun exploring together.
Suitable for
- Family friendly
When
11-11:50am
Admission
FREE advanced booking required
Little Mudlarks toddlers group: Gallery visit
Learn, play and explore together every Monday during term-time in this fun, hands-on and creative session for toddlers (walkers - 5 years) and carers. Explore our Mudlarks gallery and soft play area then come on a journey around our galleries and have fun exploring together.
Suitable for
- Family friendly
When
10-10:50am
Admission
FREE advanced booking required
Hidden no longer: community history-making in London
Over the last fifty years many independent projects have attempted to tell London’s hidden histories. This talk will examine the origins and motivations behind community history-making, some of changes and controversies that have occurred, and how mainstream history may be challenged in the digital age.
Suitable for
When
1:15-2pm
Admission
Free
Music and movement
Join us for our monthly music and movement session then come and play in Mudlarks afterwards! This session is for children and their parents and carers. Younger siblings are welcome.
Minimum age: 1
Suitable for
- Family friendly
When
10-10:50am
Admission
FREE advanced booking required
Music and movement
Join us for our monthly music and movement session then come and play in Mudlarks afterwards! This session is for children and their parents and carers. Younger siblings are welcome.
Minimum age: 1
Suitable for
- Family friendly
When
11-11:50am
Admission
FREE advanced booking required
Meet the Expert: Art and the Estuary
Exhibition organiser Elphie Psalti takes you on a tour of the Estuary exhibition picking out personal highlights to tell the story of the Thames through the frame of contemporary art. The collection includes paintings included on the Your Paintings website.
Suitable for
- Any age
When
1-2pm
Housing for the people: Old Nichol to New Boundary Street Walk
Join Mike Moran, City highlights, for a tour evoking the terrible living conditions in one of East London’s most notorious slums. Learn about its bold and ambitious redevelopment as one of the finest examples of Victorian social housing.
Suitable for
When
11am-1pm
Admission
Fee £10 (concs £8, Friends £7) book in advance 020 7001 944
News from nowhere: the Thames and utopia
In 1890, the artist, designer and political activist William Morris published News from Nowhere, a science fiction utopian vision of 22nd-Century London as seen from a trip along the Thames. Join Dr Gregor Claude for a river tour inspired by this seminal text and find traces of the artistic, political and technological utopias that have been imagined along the Thames.
Suitable for
When
2-5pm
Admission
Fee £20 book in advance
The thin veil of London Walk
In this theatrical tour, Robert Kingham delves into the mystical environs of Holborn and Bloomsbury as part of Arthur Machen's 150th Birthday festival events.
Suitable for
When
6-8pm
Admission
Fee £12 book in advance 020 7001 9844
Stepney: an East End village Walk
Walking from Mile End, Stepney Green always comes as a revelation to visitors with its attractive terraced houses and green spaces. Join Rachel Kolsky to discover the stories of the long-gone Jewish community including Sephardi cemetery and the Jewish Anarchist Club.
Suitable for
When
11am-1pm
Admission
Fee £10 (concs £8, Friends £7) book in advance 020 7001 9844
Songs of the City Walk
Bring your voices along to this musical tour of some of London’s most famous historical sites, and learn about the songs connected to them.
Suitable for
When
2-4pm
Admission
Fee £10 (concs £8, Friends £7) book in advance 020 7001 9844
Docklands Cinema Club: District 9 (2009)
District 9 is a science fiction thriller set in a militarized refugee camp in Johannesburg, South Africa. Neill Blomkamp’s extraordinary film draws on real life events from the apartheid era and was nominated for four Academy Awards in 2010 including Best Picture.
Suitable for
When
11am-1pm
Admission
Free
Photography field trip
Discover the bucolic beauty and timeless landscapes that lie just beyond the edge of our city. Explore the remote tranquillity of the estuary with local experts and professional photographers, before ending the day at the world-famous Whitstable Oyster Festival.
Suitable for
When
10am-6pm
Admission
Fee £35 book in advance 020 7001 9844
The Victoria Embankment Walk
Walk from Blackfriars to Westminster and explore this important example of 19th century civil engineering from eminent Victorian, Sir Joseph Bazalgette.
Suitable for
- Any age
When
11am-1pm
Admission
Fee £10.00 (concs £8.00, Friends £7.00). Book in advance 020 7001 9844.
The Victoria Embankment Walk
Walk from Blackfriars to Westminster and explore this important example of 19th century civil engineering from eminent Victorian, Sir Joseph Bazalgette.
Suitable for
- Any age
- Family friendly
When
11am-1pm
Admission
£10.00 (concs £8.00, Friends £7.00) book in advance 020 7001 9845.
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