usedtobeljs

Yesterday, Mr Cee and I went to West London to visit The Museum of Brands, as they had an exhibition celebrating Thunderbirds and Space: 1999 - a celebration of Sci-fi Toys and Collectables.

We've visited the museum a couple of times in the past, and it's always worth going to see their 'time tunnel', which contains thousands of examples of social and manufacturing history from the Victorian age right up to the present day. Items include food packaging, toys and games, household appliances, posters and advertising items and more! Collected over 50 years by Robert Opie, the museum now runs as a charity and is one of the most fascinating places to visit in London.

Under the cut for far too many photos. Some have unavoidable reflections, but I couldn't resist still trying to take them, so it's worth clicking to enlarge.

We started with the Thunderbirds and Space: 1999 exhibition, which also featured Fireball XL5, Stingray, Captain Scarlet and UFO. There was a LOT to look at and we were there for over two and half hours...

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Then we moved on to the 'Time Tunnel' of brands. A taster - Bisto and Marmite packaging over the years




Lots more under the cut with minimal explanations as most items are obvious. Enlarge with a click for detail.
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Sorry (not sorry) about the amount of photos *g*

Yesterday, Mr Cee and I joined the U3A 'London Explorers' group on a trip to see the Hogarth stairs and the magnificent Great Hall of Barts Hospital in London.   St Bartholemew's Hospital (known as Bart's) is the oldest teaching hospital in London, and the modern part of the hospital specialises in cardiac and cancer care. It is an NHS hospital, meaning it provides comprehensive, generally free-at-the-point-of-use secondary care to patients (including overseas visitors).

A hospital has stood on the site since 1123, and the original four blocks of buildings surrounding a square were built in the 1730s by the architect James Gibbs. Four buildings were designed not only to help prevent the spread of disease and fire, but they also meant that they could be built consecutively as funds were raised.

The North block was the first to be built and contains the King Henry VIII Gatehouse and the only statue of the King in London. Henry was instrumental in re-founding the hospital in 1547.

Once inside the courtyard, you can see the lovely North wing built in the Palladian style.  More photos under the cut.
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Our group had booked a guide, but the entrance hall and Great Hall are free to view by the public (you don't need to book ahead).  It's well worth a visit as there is a lot of information and a short film which explains the history and the recent restoration.

As we walked back to the train station we passed St Paul's - so I had to take a photo of one of my favourite London places with a particularly dramatic sky.