London Transport Museum

I am sure the very young visitors may enjoy themselves and some are accompanying older children, who might take some thing worthwhile from their visits, but the noise of their chatter and the need to watch out for them around your feet, make it a far from pleasureable experience.

If you are an adult interested in London Transport's history don't go during school holidays. If you have children over 8 years-old.try and get there early or towards the end of the day. I took two grandchildren there yesterday in their half-terrn holiday. After a 20 minute wait to get in, I paid £14.50 as a senior and the 8 & 10 year-olds went in free. My ticket was a one year pass - there is no one day admission. That is where the problem lies - parents, having paid their £17, can come back any time bringing several children for free. Their passes mean no queuing. So it becomes one big adventure playground for tiny tots. This was about half of the parked buggies - but there were still plenty being pushed around the exhibits. The only good thing is that I now have a year to return on my own during term-time. But, given the low average age of the children there, many will be too young for school, so there still could be some about! My grandchildren weren't impressed by the relative paucity of interactive exhibits and it was so noisy that trying to gain their interest by explaining what was on display was pretty futile. Their main activity was following a trail around the place punching a card at key points. They enjoyed being out and about in London, benefitting from the Travelcard, that was included in their £2 Southern Railway tickets from the south coast where we live, but the Museum was just a minor part of that.

The Underground train looks as if it is being hauled by City & South London electric locomotive, of the type seen in a neighbouring photo. They were introduced in 1890. The Underground station at the far-left looks like Kennington. Electric trams started to be introduced in 1901 and horse trams were phased out by 1915.