Imperial War Museum (London)

...was a visit to the IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM. Fortunately, they're only a short stroll from each other and we could visit them both without any great effort.

The Imperial War Museum is actually spread across several sites, including: HMS Belfast, the Cabinet War Rooms, Duxford Aviation Museum and a token branch 'oop north' in Manchester, but this review concerns the main building in Lambeth.

The museum is housed in the old ...
...apt as any normal person knows that war is completely crazy.
And what a building it is. Set in it's own grounds, it has a neo-classical façade complete with a colonnaded portico and crowned by a cupola, and guarded at the entrance by two massive, ex-battleship guns.

As is the norm these days, security on entering is quite strict and bags will be politely searched - however, if they're looking for weapons, perhaps a glance ... more

There's so much to see and do in London that when visiting for just a few days, choices have to be made and strictly adhered to. One thing we wanted to do was take a trip on the London Eye, and another was a visit to the IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM. Fortunately, they're only a short stroll from each other and we could visit them both without any great effort.

The Imperial War Museum is actually spread across several sites, including: HMS Belfast, the Cabinet War Rooms, Duxford Aviation Museum and a token branch 'oop north' in Manchester, but this review concerns the main building in Lambeth.

The museum is housed in the old insane asylum known as Bethlem, or Bedlam, which is rather apt as any normal person knows that war is completely crazy.
And what a building it is. Set in it's own grounds, it has a neo-classical façade complete with a colonnaded portico and crowned by a cupola, and guarded at the entrance by two massive, ex-battleship guns.

As is the norm these days, security on entering is quite strict and bags will be politely searched - however, if they're looking for weapons, perhaps a glance over their shoulder would prove more fruitful!

The IWP is spread over five floors which might seem quite a lot, but since we're talking about documenting mankind's fascination with maiming and killing each other, five thousand floors wouldn't be enough to squeeze in all the horror. Indeed, the IWP only concerns itself with wars of the 20th century. That still gives them plenty of scope.

• The LOWER GROUND FLOOR features historic displays such as the Trench Experience and the Blitz Experience. This is also where you'll find the main toilet area, although there are also disabled facilities on the Ground, first and second floors.
More about this floor later.

• The GROUND FLOOR is the main entrance area and houses the reception and information desks, the shop, café and a cinema. This is where you'll find all the large exhibits: various tanks and artillery pieces - the tanks have sections cut away so you can see inside; a mini-submarine; many different vehicles, including a London bus that was used to transport cannon fodder in WW1; a collection of planes, including a spitfire and a mustang which hang suspended from above (the central area is 4 floors high); a V2 rocket, and even a Polaris missile; and much, much more - far too much too list here.

One thing I will mention, is the exhibit concerning life in a WWII submarine. There's a 'hands-on' feeling about this with lots of buttons to press, levers to pull and fully completed with aromas etc. It's a little cramped (well, it IS a submarine) and, because it's primarily aimed at the younger visitors, it can be slightly harder to enter than Hitler's bunker was.

• The First Floor is where you'll find items relating to air-warfare including the first anti-aircraft gun (fired at a Zeppelin in 1915...it missed.) There's also an exhibition on this floor which tells the story of the Merchant Navy during WW2.
As if that's not enough, there's an exhibition on the Secret War - featuring all the sneaky, underhand stuff that's vital in times of conflict. It even features an original German Enigma machine which, contrary to what Hollywood would have you believe, was captured by the Royal Navy long before the the USA even entered the war.

• The SECOND FLOOR features art galleries which are primarily concerned with the two World wars. The exhibitions are regularly changed but generally feature offerings from leading British artists.

• The THIRD FLOOR is devoted entirely to The HOLOCAUST EXHIBITION. It's fairly extensive and features a history of the Nazi's rise to power and the subsequent murder of not only Jews, but a whole host of 'untermensch.
The museum actually states that this exhibition is NOT recommended for children under 14. It IS pretty gruesome, and certainly not suitable for very young children, but I think waiting till they're 14 is perhaps sheltering them a little too much.

There are models of Auschwitz as well as some authentic items borrowed from the museum there. It's perhaps the very ordinary, everyday paraphernalia that is the most disturbing - spoons and other kitchen utensils, spectacles, shoes, and children's toys. It really is very moving.
The history of the holocaust is well documented in what is one of the museum's largest exhibitions. Interspersed throughout are audio-visual displays and especially poignant are the eye-witness accounts of survivors.
The Holocaust Exhibition was extremely well done and, to my mind, factual without being sensationalist. However, both Mrs P and myself were slightly underwhelmed - having visited the Auschwitz Museum a couple of years ago, it perhaps felt somehow inadequate. I suppose it's understandable - nothing can compare to the sheer scale and cold-blooded, nightmarish reality of the real Auschwitz-Birkenau......nothing.

To be fair, if we hadn't ever seen the real thing, I think we would have found this far more rewarding, and for those who aren't able to visit the real scene of all that bestiality - physically or mentally - I can only recommend this in the highest possible terms. It is extremely well presented and very, very sobering.
Excellent.

• The FOURTH FLOOR is reserved for temporary exhibitions. When we visited, there was an exhibition concerning 'Women at War' which time constraints, and a certain lack of interest, didn't allow us to see. I'm not belittling women's role in war, it's just that certain hard choices have to be made about what to see - and this was not a priority.

• And back to the the LOWER GROUND FLOOR, or what I imaginatively term 'the basement'. This was probably my favourite area of the whole museum. Here, there are large exhibitions on both world wars, a smaller one detailing the...what was it? I seem to have forgotten.....oh yes, the Korean War, and a smaller section concerning other wars since 1945 (and there've been plenty).

As I'm particularly interested in the history of WW1, this was probably the main attraction here for me. I wasn't disappointed. There's an amazing amount and variety of artifacts on display, along with detailed information about the different phases and aspects of the war.
I've visited many, dedicated WW1 museums, and while this one is very good, I don't think it's quite on a par with the In Flanders Field Museum in Ypres.

However, The TRENCH EXPERIENCE was exceptional.
You enter a darkened corridor which is actually a simulation of a trench system. There are constant flashes, and attendant booming, which gives a reasonable impression of an artillery barrage. The sound effects also include shouting and crying, rattling machine guns and a whole cacophony of battlefield noises.

Life-size models are in various poses and attitudes, with some going over the top and many lying wounded.

The air in this trench system is rank and fetid, and the addition of dry-ice completes the horrible atmosphere.
I was also aware of the fact that there was no heating in this area and it was markedly cooler than the rest of the building. A nice touch....or maybe the heating system was just broken.

Naturally, WW2 is well represented here. In particular, the displays relating to the Home Front were interesting. There were many examples of how everyday life was strictly controlled, especially the proliferation of propaganda posters warning about everything from German spies to not wasting potato peelings. There's also an example of a weekly ration - a pitifully small amount.

The BLITZ EXPERIENCE is arguably the best feature of the WW2 section and there can be queues to wait your turn.
We didn't have to wait more than a few minutes before proceeding with around a dozen others into a replica of a bomb-shelter.

As you sit in the dim and claustrophobic shelter, there is an audio presentation with some old cockney geezer rabbiting on about something or other, but with the background rumble of exploding bombs, and the thick, east-end accent, I found it quite hard to decipher. I'm sure it was very interesting though.
You do get a vague sense of what it must have been like to be trapped in a confined space while death is raining down from above, but we had a fair idea that we'd survive OK.
There's a little twist to this part, but I wouldn't want to spoil it for anyone visiting so I'll just remind you that 'loose lips, sink ships'.

On leaving the 'shelter' from a door at the opposite end, you proceed through a street scene which depicts the aftermath of a bombing attack. It's a scene of utter devastation and certainly makes you think what an horrific experience being showered by heavy explosives must be. (At least these days, what with 'smart bombs' etc, innocent civilians should be fairly safe.....)
Although it's busy, there was no feeling of being rushed through.

The gift shop had a good selection of souvenirs and was reasonably priced. There was an extensive collection of books (especially relating to WW1) which I found quite impressive...impressive enough for me to part with some hard-earned.

The café had a limited, but adequate choice of soups, pizzas and main courses, as well as sandwiches and cakes etc. We only had a coffee but the food looked OK - if over-priced.

In conclusion, we spent an enthralling 3-4 hours in the museum and hardly even scratched the surface of it. Of necessity, we avoided many areas, and even the sections we were interested in couldn't fully be explored in the limited time we had.
It's a place where you either have to be extremely selective about what you want to see, or you really need to visit more than once.

Here's a tip:
If you possibly can, arrange a visit out-with school term. The place was absolutely infested with ill-mannered and uncontrolled, noisy and obnoxious, grubby little urchins who were doing their level best to waste everyone's visit. It's bad enough having to climb over kids lying sprawled on the floor, but Mrs P was actually kicked by one of the little darlings.

The teachers and helpers who were in charge of the children didn't seem to be able to cope and as for staff from the museum, I think they were guilty of cowardice in the face of the enemy...they had gone AWOL.

It's really not good enough that the actions of, if not the majority of the schoolkids - then a sizeable minority, can spoil the experience for those who haven't been made to attend.
It may be educational, but I would suggest teaching them some manners would be in order before letting them loose in public.

Rant over.

• Technical Stuff •

Nearest underground stations -- Lambeth North, Waterloo, Southwark, or Elephant and Castle.

Nearest rail stations -- Waterloo or Elephant and Castle.

Busses -- 1, 3, 12, 45, 53, 59, 63, 68, 100, 159, 168, 171, 172, 176,188, 344, C10

There is wheelchair access throughout the museum.

• Opening Hours:

Open daily - 10am to 6pm
closed 24,25 & 26 December

Admission is free

http://www.iwm.org.uk

Thanks for reading

©proxam2004
 

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