A selection of ten excellent (and free) exhibitions to visit in October so you can turn the heating off at home and keep warm in London’s museums and galleries instead.


Off the Rails: The Line that never was

Elstree & Borehamwood Museum, Borehamwood

An exhibition exploring the Elstree Extension through the Northern Heights that was suspended during World War 2, and never restarted. Come and see the scale model of the Tube line and how it would have looked if it had been completed.

(NB – this exhibition end on 22nd October)

Details here


William the Conqueror’s 1067 Charter

Guildhall Art Gallery, City of London

The oldest document held in the City of London Corporation’s extensive archives will go on rare public display. Is part of a small heritage exhibiton in the art gallery — the rest of which is also free to visit.

Details here


Shattered glass of Beirut

British Museum, Bloomsbury

Ancient glass vessels, shattered in Beirut’s devastating port explosion have gone on display in London for a few weeks before they are returned to Lebanon.

Details here


Maurice Broomfield: Industrial Sublime

Victoria and Albert Museum, South Kensington

Maurice Broomfield’s dramatic photographs captured factories and their workers in an era of rapid transition, depicting the remnants of the industrial revolution alongside emerging technologies.

Details here


A taste of one’s own medicine

Royal College of Physicians Museum, Regent’s Park

This exhibition comprised a unique collection of medical satire prints from the mid-18th century to the 1980s.

Graphic satire has saturated all levels of society since it emerged as a skilled artform in the 17th century. It developed into a thriving industry in the 18th century, becoming a powerful tool for expressing political and social opinions, not least towards medical professionals.

Details here


Grime Stories: from the corner to the mainstream

Museum of London, City of London

A display honouring the music, people and places central to the grime scene and its roots in East London.

Co-curated by one of the first cameramen of grime, Roony ‘Risky’ Keefe, Grime Stories: from the corner to the mainstream is a brand new, free display exploring the emergence of grime in East London and the community at its heart.

(NB – the Museum of London closes for three years in December, so now is a particuarly good time to visit)

Details here


Feeding the Hamlets: Exploring the history of food production in the East End

Tower Hamlets Local History Library & Archives, Stepney Green

This exhibition uses the unique collections of Tower Hamlets Archives as a lens through which to explore the borough’s history of producing food. The exhibition looks at the methods and sites where food production took place, as well as the people who were involved.

Details here


Slavery & the Bank

Bank of England Museum, City of London

This exhibition explores the history of transatlantic slavery through its connections with the Bank of England and the wider City of London.

For over 300 years, the slave trade tore more than 12 million African people from their homes and families. In this exhibition, the bank reflect’s on how the wealth created through transatlantic slavery shaped the development of Britain.

Details here


Yinka Ilori

Design Museum, Kensington

The first museum display exploring the work of artist and designer Yinka Ilori, celebrating a mix of cultural influences and will unpack the ingredients of a diasporic visual language.

Visitors will see over 100 objects, ranging from artworks, photographs and furniture, to textiles, books and personal possessions. Seen together, they offer an unprecedented glimpse into Ilori’s use of the power of design to absorb cultural influences and express London’s rich mix of identities.

Details here


Foe to Friend: The British Army in Germany since 1945

National Army Museum, Chelsea

This exhibition follows the lives of soldiers in Germany over the past 75 years. It looks at the changing relationship between Britain and Germany and charts the gradual transition from foe to friend.

Discover everyday tales of beer, bratwurst and family life set against intriguing accounts of espionage and military training on a massive scale.

Details here


This article was published on ianVisits

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The post London’s free exhibitions to visit in October 2022 appeared first on ianVisits.