Tuesday 12 April 2016

London Easter Trip 2016: Part 2


Here's the second part of my recent trip to London; We got the tube to North Greenwich & walked along the Thames to Woolwich spotting lots of interesting sights along the way including....

 
A Found Object Sculpture & Greenwich Yacht Club on stilts...

 
The Thames Barrier which helps with water levels & flooding....

  
Plants inside/outside and a Noted Stout House which is now a vets practice...

  
Gormleys upon Gormleys in Woolwich....

 

 
Then we went to the Royal Artillery Museum where there was 'Trench art' where soldiers carved into spent shells creating decorative art & tiger cannons, while it wouldn't have been my choice to go there, you can always find a few things that peak your inspiration.

 
The next day I headed to the Horniman Museum, known for its taxidermy & anthropology collections its a quirky gem of a museum off the beaten track in South London...

   
I saw paper lanterns, and Romanian textiles...
  
  


Lots of stuffed animals & birds, while a fascinating collection there's a beautiful melancholy sadness to them as you can see their beauty but now they're long dead and will forever be in a cage being stared at....



 
and amazing masks from lots of different cultures. Also check out the music gallery where you can see & listen to different instruments from around the world.

  
On the way back I stopped in Crystal Palace Park to see the Rusty Laptop, which is actually a concert stage, which is in need of a bit of repair. (See my List of Things to See in Crystal Palace Park)

 
The day after I went to the Natural History Museum, (obligatory photo of Dippy the Diplodocus and you can see the white statue of Charles Darwin in the background) we were there to see 'The Wildlife Photographer of the Year.



Some of my favourites on show were Komodo Judo,  A Tale of Two Foxes (a Red Fox with the carcass of an Arctic Fox, showing how climate change is forcing the bigger Red Fox into Arctic areas and killing it's smaller cousin for survival) and a Whale of a Mouthful. Afterwards I quickly popped into the V&A museum next door and saw this beautifully embroidered kimono used in Noh Theatre...

   

Then we headed to the National Portrait Gallery mainly to see the mini 'Celebrating Charlotte Bronte: 1816-1855' exhibition where they had her really small boots, mini books for Branwells toy soldiers, watercolours & some of her letters on display. Also I saw this great portrait of Christabel Pankhurst, the daughter of Emmeline. Then we walked down towards the Houses of Parliament passing this Women of World War II memorial near the Cenotaph & downing street. I love how it shows the 'workwear' of women and how women's roles during the War were extremely diverse- from being land girls, police, nurses and welders, to making ammunition, it was the start of Women's Liberation from home into the World of Work & Independence.

Passed by Richard I, the lionheart who reigned from 1189-99!...

  
and found Emmeline Pankhurst to Thank her & everyone else who stood & still stand up for Women's rights today, Votes for Women!

Thanks London I always love visiting you to see amazing & wonderful history, sights & sounds, I'll be back soon...




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