MUSEUM OF LONDON UNVEILED NEW GALLERIES AND EXHIBITIONS

RECENTLY THE MUSEUM OF LONDON UNVEILED THE GALLERIES OF MODERN LONDON, A SPECTACULAR £20 MILLION REDEVELOPMENT OF THE MUSEUM'S GALLERIES, WHICH WILL TELL THE STORY OF LONDON AND ITS INHABITANTS FROM THE GREAT FIRE OF LONDON IN 1666 TO THE PRESENT DAY. SUPPORTED BY AN £11.5 MILLION HERITAGE LOTTERY FUND GRANT, THE NEW GALLERIES PROVIDE AN INSPIRING VISION OF THE WORLD'S GREATEST CITY, AND PLACE THE MUSEUM AT THE HEART OF LONDON AHEAD OF THE 2012 OLYMPICS. ON DISPLAY ARE OVER 7,000 FASCINATING OBJECTS TELLING THE STORIES OF LONDONERS OVER THE PAST 350 YEARS. ANN FANSHAWE'S EXTRAVAGANT 1750s COURT DRESS WILL MAKE VISITORS WONDER HOW ITS WEARER WAS ABLE TO WALK THROUGH A DOOR WITH ITS TWO-METER WIDE SKIRT. A RECONSTRUCTED GEORGIAN PLEASURE GARDEN, WITH ITS PARADE OF EXQUISITELY DRESSED STROLLERS MODELING SPECIALLY COMMISSIONED HATS AND MASKS BY PHILIP TREACY, WILL EXPOSE THE EXCITEMENT AND INTRIGUE OF GEORGIAN SOCIAL LIVES. BUT HARDSHIP WAS JUST A TURN OF FORTUNE AWAY, AS THE WELLCLOSE DEBTORS' PRISON, ETCHED WITH INMATES' GRAFFITI, SHOWS. MOVING INTO THE 20th CENTURY, THE STUNNING ART DECO LIFT FROM SELFRIDGES DEPARTMENT STORE IS EVIDENCE OF THE OPULENCE OF THE NEW CENTURY. THE FLURRY OF POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS AND VOICES OF PROTEST IS EXPOSED IN STORIES OF THE SUFFRAGETTES FIGHTING FOR WOMEN'S VOTES, AND OF THE EMERGING COMMUNIST AND FASCIST GROUPS AS THE NATION MOVED CLOSER TO WAR. THE REFUGEE TRUNK BELONGING TO THE SEELIG FAMILY, WHO ESCAPED TO LONDON FROM DRESDEN IN 1939, TELLS THE STORY OF THOSE FORCED TO MOVE TO THE CITY IN HARD CIRCUMSTANCES. THE MUSEUM WILL OFFER NEW ITEMS ON DISPLAY AS WELL AS OLD FAVORITES; THE FAMOUS SPARKLING LORD MAYOR'S STATE COACH WILL HAVE ITS OWN GALLERY WITH STREET LEVEL WINDOWS FOR PASSERS-BY TO SEE IN FOR THE FIRST TIME.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www.museumoflondon.org.uk