This summer London Transport Museum has a line-up of school-holiday activities that will get families thinking about how transport shapes life in the capital and imagining what a greener future for the city could look like.
The activities are the first in a new 18-month Climate Crossroads programme launched by London Transport Museum to shine a light on sustainable cities, travel, transport and greener skills for the future. London Transport Museum, which has just been shortlisted in this year’s Kids in Museum’s Family Friendly Museum award, is playing a key part in supporting the Mayor of London’s ‘Let’s Do London’ campaign to attract domestic visitors to the city and bring central London’s economy back to life.
Overground, Underground at London Transport Museum, Covent Garden
- 24 July – 15 August: families can navigate an urban trail around the Museum’s galleries to find out how London’s transport system has shaped the city’s environment, for the good and the bad. Find out how one London family has been a part of this change in a brand-new interactive storytelling session, suitable for children aged seven and under. Storytelling will take place at 10:30, 11:30, 13:20 and 14:20 on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays
- 16 August – 1 September: families visiting London Transport Museum should be on the lookout for an adventurous bird searching for green spaces and fellow city wildlife living along London’s railway tracks, from kestrels and foxes to bees and bats. Discover who the bird meets on their journey in an interactive family storytelling session suitable for children aged seven and under. Storytelling will take place at 10:30, 11:30, 13:20 and 14:20 on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
Whilst at the museum, families can also see real buses, trams and tube stations from 200 years of the Capital’s transport history. They can learn how to drive a modern-day Elizabeth line train in the Future Engineers gallery and climb aboard a fleet of mini vehicles in the All Aboard play zone. Between 11:00 and 15:00, visitors can head to Canteen, the Museum’s cafe by popular eatery Benugo, for a bite to eat and an ice cream, and choose from exclusive transport inspired gifts, kihomeware, poster artwork and games in the Museum’s shop.
Timed tickets to visit London Transport Museum can be booked online in advance. Adult tickets cost £18.50 and allow free return day-time entry for a whole year and kids go free. Guidance on the Museum’s latest coronavirus safety measures is available on its website.
Families with special educational needs and disabilities, including autistic spectrum disorder, can enjoy an Early Explorer Morning on Saturday 31 July from 08:30 to 10:00 and an Explorer Evening on Saturday 21 August from 18:15 to 19:45. Families can explore the Museum at a quieter time, free from the general public, and with many of the gallery sounds turned off. Advanced online booking is essential.
Go Green at the London Transport Museum Depot, Acton Town
The London Transport Museum Depot in Acton Town, west London, will also be opening its doors for families to explore from 7 – 8 August and between 11 – 15 August.
As families wander around the historic buses and tube trains from the capital’s past, they will follow a trail and see how the city’s transport network has evolved over time and imagine what a greener London could look like in the future. Discover ‘green’ objects in the collection, get creative with a hands-on activity inspired by surprising green spaces in the city and enjoy storytelling about the wildlife that can be found in the city. Families can enjoy an outdoor display of London taxis through time, showing models from the 1930s onwards and learn about green travel choices, from cycling to scooting.
Timed tickets to visit the London Transport Museum Depot must be booked in advance online. Adult tickets cost £15 and tickets for children cost £7.50. Kids aged 3 and under go free. Concessions and a discount for residents living in Ealing, Hounslow and Hillingdon are available. The latest guidance on the Museum’s coronavirus safety measures is available on its website.
On Saturday 14 August, the first time slot of the day between 10:00 to 10:30 is reserved for SEND Explorer Time to ensure a quiet and warm welcome to the Depot for families with special educational needs and disabilities. Advanced booking online is essential and standard ticket prices apply.
Climate Crossroads
London Transport Museum’s summer line-up of family activities are the first in its new 18-month Climate Crossroads programme, which will shine a light on sustainable cities, travel, transport and greener skills for the future. The programme aims to get people thinking differently about how to make the city a greener place to live and be inspired by the great engineering ingenuity of London’s past, will explore what innovations, skills and jobs that need to help build this sustainable future.
Global engineering, management and development consultancy Mott MacDonald is leading the way with its support for the programme as the first Climate Crossroads industry coalition partner. For over 150 years Mott MacDonald has designed infrastructure to keep London running. The consultancy also delivers infrastructure projects around the world, improving society and delivering great social and environmental outcomes for cities and their citizens.
As a leading champion for the decarbonising of transport, Mott MacDonald is working with governments, clients and institutions to develop responsible solutions that meet increasing demand and reduce carbon emissions. The consultancy has also joined Race To Zero; a United Nations initiative to rally leadership and support from businesses, cities, regions, and investors for a healthy, resilient, zero-carbon recovery.
Over the next 18 months, the Climate Crossroads programme will feature family school holiday activities, green-themed After Dark events, thought-leadership debates for business leaders and policymakers and skills and employability support for young people. Details of the activities will be publicised throughout 2021.
Sam Mullins OBE, Director at London Transport Museum said, “We all have a part to play in building a green, sustainable future. With much of the Capital’s landscape associated with transport, London Transport Museum has an important role to play in igniting our audience’s curiosity to shape a green future for our city, from its climate and air-quality to its transport and urban environments and its nature and biodiversity. Our Climate Crossroads programme will shape our focus over the next 18 months and offer our visitors a lively programme of family activities and industry-led thought-leadership.”
Neil Henderson, Key Account Director for Transport, Mott MacDonald said, “As major centres of production and consumption, a large proportion of the UK’s carbon emissions come from infrastructure that is within the boundaries of cities. London alone generates about one third of the carbon emissions in the UK. Transport is also the largest source of air pollution and therefore has a key role in helping London and the UK achieve carbon neutrality and improve the health of its citizens. We are very excited to be the first Climate Crossroads coalition partner. The programme will play a key role in educating and shaping travel behaviours as we transition to a carbon-free transport future.”
Find out what’s on at the London Transport Museum.
