20 February 2007
Magical theatres and other toys
We cycled across London to Bethnal Green in the East End, where the toy museum has had a refurbishment. It is a branch of the V&A - I think it may be the original museum building of the 1860s rebuilt in the East End. It used to be a bit of a forgotten outpost, although very nice - with loads of dolls houses and historical costumes, not to mention rather odd Victorian furniture they couldn't find room for anywhere else, such as a chair made entirely of stag's antlers. Our older daughter adored the old style museum, and spent hours if not days gloating over the cases and cases of costumes and wax dolls, etc. We were afraid it might have been ruined in the way museums often are in a mistaken effort to make them "accessible" - which so often just makes them seem trivial and boring for adults and children alike once the knobs and buttons have been twisted and thumped. Bethnal Green has avoided that mistake, though. It has just the right balance of objects to look at, objects to play with and objects to marvel over. There are still lots of costumes, dolls, toys etc. from all ages and cultures, arranged in themes, and they've kept the Victorian cases crammed with items. There are absolutely stunning things like a life sized Georgian puppet theatre and a pink aeroplane you can ride in - I am not sure if it actually flies ;-) Anyone within reach of London who likes toys and childhood ought to visit - and as it was half term it was packed - but the museum absorbed them all. The central space is now a very good and reasonably priced cafe. We took loads of pictures and I could fill the space with them but I'll just put one - of an object Lewis Carroll would have loved - a large Victorian toy theatre most beautifully designed and detailed for one family. I have just pictured one corner of the stage and proscenium arch. Some of the characters are shown - a bejewelled mermaid, various animals, a soldier. I think the production is called "The Yellow Dwarf"