New gallery to open at London Transport Museum

A new permanent gallery named London’s Transport at War, is to open to the public on Saturday October 17, 2020 in Covent Garden at the London Transport Museum. The new gallery, is expected to reveal the crucial role London’s transport has played in global conflicts, from keeping civilians safe on the home front, to supporting efforts on the front lines. It is designed to introduce visitors to the people behind these stories and will feature new posters, photographs, safety notices and wartime objects from the Museum’s collection.

New interactive displays and an atmospheric sheltering experience is said to reveal what life was like for Londoners seeking refuge in Underground stations during wartime air raids. Visitors will be ableto make their own Tube station shelter ticket to take home.

The gallery will showcase five different themes that explore how the people and transport system of one the world’s greatest cities helped with the war effort.

Sam Mullins OBE, Director for London Transport Museum, said: “During these challenging times for all museums, I am especially proud to be able to launch our new London’s Transport at War gallery. From sheltering in Tube stations to escape the Blitz, to the buses and drivers who went to the Western Front, visitors will be able learn about the vital role our world-famous transport system played in two world wars.”

Matt Brosnan, Head Curator at London Transport Museum, said: “We’ve brought the stories of the people involved in London’s transport during the First and Second World Wars to life with a combination of collection objects, photos, film, new audio hand-sets, and digital and interactive displays. Young visitors will particularly enjoy hands-on interactives that involve discovering the wartime roles of men and women and making a Tube shelter ticket to take home.” 

The transformation of London’s Transport at War gallery was only made possible thanks to generous funding from the DCMS Wolfson Foundation, Charles Hayward Foundation, John C Cohen Foundation and London Transport Museum Friends

For more details on the gallery, and to book tickets, visit the London Transport Museum website.

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