MM4.Travel

London – Day Five

Thursday September 5

British Museum

In a celebration of English culture we joined the long queue in front of the British Museum. Only to be told that we were in the wrong queue, and to join another long queue at the rear of the British Museum.

Sad looking lion queuing up by the rear entrance.

The British Museum is fairly mad, not Soane Museum mad, but pretty close. When we get a coffee there’s 2000 year old Bronze statue beside us, pretty much no one notices it.

Parthenon Marbles – Lord Elgin bought them fair and square. Apparently.

The Great Court Addition by Foster & Partners. Nice.

Rosetta Stone. Famous. It helped to finally decipher hieroglyphics.

Lewis Chess set. Old. The Bishops look worried.

Architectural Association.

Is the oldest architectural school in the UK and one of the most famous. It’s a who’s who, who’s studied there. The bookshop is amazing.

Soho

From there we went to Soho, and to Liberty. Liberty already has Christmas decorations up, which feels slightly early, but it is amazing.

Carnaby Street

Liberty is right next to Carnaby Street.

Just off Carnaby Street is Broadwick Street where the Broad Street Pump is, and beside the John Snow pub. John Snow was the first person to systematically map the Cholera outbreak in 1854 epidemic. He also hypothesised that it spread by germs and not bad air or miasma. He located the source of the outbreak at the pump that was infected by nearby Cesspit. In classic official fashion he was ignored.