London: Museums
We did hit many of the museums, as one ought. London is glutted with museums, and fortunately Caroline pointed us to a couple of very cool ones…
Museum of London
I picked this one because bits of the ancient London Wall go near it, and because it’s all about London, unlike say the British Museum, which Caroline described as <where to go see all the things Brits stole>.
The Tate Modern
I just loved this exhibit. It’s >6,000 hardcover books individually covered in garish print fabric, each printed with the name in gold foil of a first or second generation immigrant who made significant contributions to British culture and history. As the daughter of an immigrant and a book lover, I felt incredibly touched by this exhibit.
The Novelty Automation place
Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre
Sir John Soane’s Museum
Architect Sir John Soane rebuilt these to house his work, home and massive collection of art, many of which are castings of Italian originals. We weren’t allowed to take photos, but their website shows much of the collection. It’s as if he was displaying samples that is customers may want to incorporate into their designs. We were struck by the clever things Soane did to get natural light to shine from various skylights down all the way to the ground floor. Remarkable!
Shepherd’s Bookbinders Shop
