IWM: Duxford

Admittedly it’s not in London but it’s part of the Imperial War Museum and easily done as a day trip from the capital.

Duxford is the aeronautical division of the Museum, a little outside of Cambridge and given my light aircraft flying habit, somewhere I couldn’t miss off my list.

Some truly fascinating exhibits – including my first (and, sadly, only) walk through Concorde, the Blackbird SR-71 (smaller than I expected) and the ill-fated TSR-2 (which I’d only read about and I was surprised my mum had heard of). The highlights are split between a brand new, in-progress ‘Air Space’ gallery and the American Air Museum, the latter being the subject of all three photos.

But here a bit of a moan: we’re at a huge airfield in the sleepy middle of nowhere with recent buildings and all the main exhibits are crammed together, overlapping, confused. Now I appreciate that this is inevitable to an extent with such huge aircraft, I don’t expect a B52 to be sat by itself, but hardly anything was viewable or photograph-able without peering past a sea of wings from its’ neighbours.

But here a bit of praise: the Norman Foster-designed American Air Museum had me mesmerised, almost trumping the exhibits themselves. Sweeping lines with clever detailing such as the external goods doors looking like wings when open.

The day and my tour of the slightly quieter and lower profile exhibits was cut slightly short by last buses back to Cambridge but I’ll probably return once the ‘Air Space’ gallery fully opens.

Common ground

Been here in Wimbledon for 3 years now but never really explored the Common – that great swathe of open land from the Village all the way to Richmond Park. Sure, the occasional run but I hadn’t really seen the variety of flora, fauna and landscape.

From fairly barren shrub land (Parkside, the A219 is just beyond the treeline)…

…to the Kingsmere and Queensmere ‘ponds’. It’s not exactly easy to find your way around: footpaths – yes, signed – no. It’s a sad reality that the best way to navigate is by the A3 on one side of the triangle and the A219 on another but venture into the largely untrodden centre of peaceful hills and gulleys.

There’s obviously been some thought into the conservation – tidy enough without being fussy, wild while remaining safe. No Wombles in sight but maybe they’re being timid on this first visit.

Natural History Museum

Initial scepticism clouded my first visit; it was a place to hide out of the rain or to kill a few minutes after visiting the Science Museum next door. However I’ve since visited twice more in quick succession to try and take in the enormity and variety of the place: true the cabinets of gemstones and metals are purely there to guide one towards the meteorite fragments and there’s only so much of stuffed animals you can take – strong and interested constitution notwithstanding. It is that variety that holds the attention though; the Planet Earth exhibitions are superb and bang up-to-date for environmentally-aware (if not particularly active) 2007.

Two highlights stick out though: firstly the architecture, so often my Achilles heal when I should be admiring the contents of a museum, is stunning. Internal brickwork and tiles that are carved with leaves and animals: that’s inspiring detail.

The second was in less auspicious surrounding but no less fascinating. The emerging Darwin Centre for the active research the Museum (and other visiting scientists) is right next door and the subject of a dedicated, free, tour. Those with a weak stomach or mind are quickly despatched with the first stop. Ever wondered how those skeletons are prepared for show, how they’re so… errr… clean? Well with the exception of dinosaurs who have a couple of millennia to decompose it doesn’t happen overnight without a little help. Cue the Darwin Centre’s colony of flesh eating beetles who can tear through a bone or two in a few days leaving it pristine and less…. errr…. fleshy.

Once we’d returned from letting a couple of the tour out we got onto the jars. Library archive-style cabinets of jars and jars and jars of everything, everything that we know of at least. The most spectacular space was the one that reeked of alcohol and formaldehyde (though probably not the latter or we wouldn’t have lived very long). Real specimens or real fish, snakes, monkeys; where things didn’t fit into jars naturally there’s an element of ‘folding’ or separation involved. Part of this collection is ‘Archie‘, a giant squid for which a special perspex case had to be constructed using techniques developed a la Damien Hirst. Though now probably trumped by the recent haul of a colossal squid near New Zealand this is an eye opener, literally. The immense size of the eyes, the viciousness of the sharp suckers.

Of greater interest even that this were some of the canopic jars from a certain Mr Darwin on his beagle voyage; yes, the Darwin, yes some of his specimens. The importance of these examples historically cannot be understated, unless you live in certain parts of the US of course.

Maybe it’s my (comparative!) ignorance in this particular field but the Museum is one not to simply walk round but one to be introduced to. Don’t necessarily be seduced by the (expensive) animatronic exhibition or whatever is flavour of the day; take a tour, don’t miss the architecture and be prepared to return.

Imperial War Museum

The IWM London has long been one of my favourite museums even though it may sound a rather morbid thing to admit. It’s sympathetic, educational, moving, powerful.

The post-1945 galleries taught me things about Cold War campaigns I didn’t know from History GCSE or International Relations degree paper. The Holocaust exhibition drives people to silence, awe and tears. It’s superb, it’s a must-see, it’s important.