[ Project focus: Museum of London ]

Back to the future

The Museum of London, one of the world’s largest urban history museums, has recently completed a £20.5m redevelopment of its lower galleries. Wessex Fire & Security installed the museum’s fire detection system. Rob Shepherd pays a visit to find out more

T

he Museum of London has a unique place in the capital’s cultural and educational network, telling the city’s modern history from the Great Fire in 1666 to the present day. It cares for more

than two million objects in its collection and also holds the largest archaeological archive in Europe. Its lower galleries have recently undergone major redevelopment work, which involved the creation of spectacular new galleries to house fascinating displays.

Inspiration

The museum was opened in 1976 and is located just a short distance north of St Paul’s Cathedral. It overlooks

the remains of the Roman city wall on the edge of the City, the oldest part of London and long-established as the capital’s financial district. Like London itself, the museum’s collections are vast and

varied, ranging from archaeological finds to photographs, shop fronts to archive film and video, and bus tickets to the magnificent Lord Mayor’s State Coach. The Museum of London’s mission is to inspire a

passion for London by communicating its history, archaeology and contemporary cultures to a wider world. It reaches all of London’s communities through playing a role in the debate about the capital and it contributes to London’s cultural and educational networks.

History on show... the exterior of the Museum of London with the new glass frontage, enabling passers-by to see the Lord Mayor’s coach.

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