- Plans approved to create new London Museum and regenerate Smithfield
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- fabric to become world’s first nightclub-in-residence in a Museum
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- Museum of London raises a further £7 million towards its new home at West Smithfield
- Museum of London celebrates 45 years at London Wall as it commences countdown to closure
- Sunil Gupta’s ‘Pretended’ Family Relationships photo series acquired by the Museum of London
- Putin’s Happy – Museum of London acquires Jeremy Deller film revealing a divided country and a city full of protest
- The Museum of London celebrates city's sporting hero with new display on Harry Kane
- The Museum of London presents 'Grime Stories: from the corner to the mainstream', opening 17 June 2022
- Joe Corré, Jordan and Richard Boon to appear in an uncensored, live Punk.London debate
- 300 year old love message embroidered in human hair to go on display at the Museum of London Docklands
- Museum of London begins countdown to West Smithfield relocation
- Douglas Gilmore appointed Managing Director of Museum of London Docklands
- New research to shed fresh light on the impact of industrialisation
- The Prince of Wales becomes Museum of London Patron
- The Clash’s Paul Simonon’s famous Fender Precision bass to go on display
- Behind the Scenes of the Museum of London
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- Museum of London sites set to reopen 19 May with extensions of Dub London: Bassline of a City and Havering Hoard: A Bronze Age Mystery
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- Museum of London acquires ‘viral’ Tweets for Collecting COVID
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- Robert Milligan statue statement
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- Public statement
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- King Charles I’s execution vest to go on display in new major exhibition
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- Smithfield Street Party
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Join the Beasts of London on an immersive tour and let the animals tell you the story of their city
2 April 2019
Beasts of London is supported by IFAW
Beasts of London
Museum of London
5 April 2019 – 5 January 2020
Variable pricing. Family tickets from £20
The Museum of London opens Beasts of London on 5 April 2019; a state of the art, immersive and digital experience that takes visitors on a journey through time, from before London was created through to the present day.
Inspired by objects drawn from the museum’s world class collection and working in partnership with Guildhall School of Music & Drama, this family-friendly show brings you face to face with the beasts both large and small who helped shape the city we know today. Made up of nine episodes, each tells the story of the capital from an animal’s perspective, highlighting some of the city’s most iconic moments.
Starting in prehistory with the very first of London’s beasts you are then guided through the arrival of the Romans. Then comes the Medieval Age when the first menageries were built in the city and then through the disastrous years of the Great Plague of the 1600s. From there you find yourself transported inside a rowdy Victorian tavern, centre ring underneath a bustling big top at the Circus and then standing side by side a group of noble horses from across the ages. Finally, you arrive back in in the 21st century to explore people’s relationship with the city’s animals today.
Beasts of London is a surprising, multi-sensory experience which sees Museum of London curators join forces with multi award-winning director, designer and audio visual specialist Dan Shorten - the video projection lead at Guildhall School. Shorten’s most recent projects include Blackout at Tower Bridge’s Bascule Chamber and Waddesdon Imaginarium at Waddesdon Manor. The animals throughout the experience are voiced by well-known names such as Kate Moss, Brian Blessed, Pam Ferris, Nish Kumar, Stephen Mangan, Angellica Bell and Joe Pasquale alongside actors from Guildhall School.
Francis Marshall, Senior Curator at the Museum of London said: “Beasts of London is the first fully-immersive show presented by the Museum of London. It is a journey that is surprising, creative, visually striking, emotionally affecting and encourages visitors to look at the animals of London in a new way and to consider our city from a very different perspective. It is a product of intensive research and boundless imagination from our team in partnership with Guildhall School of Music & Drama and is sure to appeal to audience members of all ages.”
Dan Shorten, creative director for Beasts of London and video projection lead at Guildhall School, said: “It has been wonderful working with the Museum of London to bring to life the story of animals throughout history in London and its streets using the latest video mapping technology. Video design is a fast growing area of Guildhall School’s work, and our production artists are regularly engaged for high profile public facing work. We can’t wait to share this immersive and spectacular world with all Museum of London visitors.”
Beasts of London is part of the Culture Mile programme.
Further information: www.museumoflondon.org.uk/beastsoflondon
#BeastsofLondon
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Notes for editors
For more press information please contact Emily Brazee, Media Officer at the Museum of London on 020 7814 5502 / 07713 565 805 or [email protected].
For more press information on Guildhall School of Music & Drama please contact: Rebecca Driver Media Relations on 0203 6917034 or [email protected]
About the Museum of London
The Museum of London tells the ever-changing story of this great world city and its people, from 450,000 BC to the present day. Our galleries, exhibitions, displays and activities seek to inspire a passion for London and provide a sense of the vibrancy that makes the city such a unique place. The museum is open daily 10am – 6pm and is FREE to all, and you can explore the Museum of London with collections online – home to 90,000 objects with more being added. www.museumoflondon.org.uk.
About Guildhall School of Music & Drama
Guildhall School is a vibrant, international community of young musicians, actors and production artists in the heart of the City of London. Rated Gold in the Teaching Excellence Framework and ranked as the UK’s top conservatoire in the Guardian University Guide 2019 for Music, the School is a global leader of creative and professional practice which promotes innovation, experiment and research, with over 1,000 students in higher education, drawn from nearly 60 countries around the world. www.gsmd.ac.uk/video
About Culture Mile
Culture Mile is a corner of London’s working capital, where creativity is fast becoming the most valuable currency. It’s led by the City of London Corporation, together with the Barbican, Guildhall School of Music & Drama, London Symphony Orchestra and the Museum of London. www.culturemile.london
About ESI Media
ESI Media is the commercial division of the Evening Standard and The Independent. ESI Media has a monthly cross-platform UK reach of 21.6m adults. The Evening Standard is read by over 1.4m people every day and The Independent is visited by over 78m global unique browsers each month. Visit esimedia.co.uk for more information. @ESI_Media
About IFAW
Founded in 1969, the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) is a global non-profit organisation that protects animals and the places they call home. With offices in 15 countries and projects in over 40, we rescue, rehabilitate and release animals into secure landscapes around the world. In collaboration with both governments and local communities, our experienced campaigners, legal and political experts, and internationally acclaimed scientists pioneer lasting solutions to some of the most pressing animal welfare and wildlife conservation issues of our time.