Imperial war museum

[Adrian Stevenson]

Transforming IWM London | Imperial War Museums

I just hope that they keep the same amount of artifacts on display. All too often when museums are revamped it means less on display and more "interactive" arty-farty stuff. IWM North has a huge amount of wasted space.....

Cheers, Ade.

[António Fragoeiro]

Hi, a thread from my visit in 2010.
ww2 Museums in london
Also with photos from the cabinet war rooms.
And HMS Belfast.
Cheers.
Nuno

[hucks216]

I think IWM North is the definite weak link in the trio of the IWM main museums (Lambeth, Duxford & Manchester). Not sure how correct it is that it was set up originally to display items that IWM had no room for at the other two sites but it is obvious that it went down the 'artistic' route from the start, hence why there is a modern sculpture representing the artists view of conflict (surely an artist's view of conflict belongs in an art museum, not a war one) and Turner Prize winning paintings. I know that the Lada car exhibit is there to show life behind the Iron Curtain but at the end of the day it is a war/conflict museum and as such it isn't a relevant exhibit in my opinion.

[slados28]

Visited the Churchill War Rooms back in July while in London, unfortunately I was too hung over to do that and the IWM (discussed here) back to back Looking past my pounding hangover I feel that the War Rooms were definitely worth it, a true time capsule... I especially liked the office of Churchill and the map rooms, plus at the end there's an interesting exhibit of various artifacts relating to Churchill such as uniforms/articles of clothing, documents, diaries and letters, propaganda posters etc... lots of good stuff.
I believe there was a copy (or the original?) of the Munich Agreement on display there as well, I took lots of photos so if there's any interest I could create a Churchill War Rooms thread.

[Adrian Stevenson]

Lez and visted IWM North back in June. I was not impressed by several aspects, such as Marlene Dietrich's overseas cap displayed back to front and some nose art on fabric which was from a "Lancaster"

[canti44]

I visited the Imperial war museum lots of times as a child and have a strong memory of a cross-section of a WW1 Lee Enfield with a German Mauser bullet lodged halway down its barrel. They must have been perfectly in line with each other for it to happen. Is it still there, or am I making it up!?

[davejb]

There used to be a sound exhibit of a raid during the Blitz with a full sized diorama and it was loud and violent, dont know if thats still there but it made your teeth rattle

[davesap250]

Well here are some pics. Unfortunatley this was the only place I was allowed to take pics. The tank behind all the builders mesh is Montgomerys that he was in in the battle of alamein. Most interesting piece I found was a Fallschirmjäger helmet and jump smock. Taken from a German spy who landed in Norfolk. It is not known what happened to him......

[HARRY THE MOLE]

I agree with Adrian on the IWM (north). My daughter used to joke that the collection I used to have of WW1 artefacts was greater than what the museum had. There's too much space, too little artefacts and a stupid sign on a T34 asking you not to touch it. The IWM in London is something special though - unless they do 'modernise' it.

I recall I had to attend the opening of an important war art exhibition at IWM (North) some years ago. I was attending on behalf of my daughter who at the time was editor of 'Limited Edition' magazine. One of the 'helpers' they employ at the museum was telling me about one of the paintings on show. It depicted a scene where soldiers blinded by gas were being led away from the battlefield past the Cloth hall at Ypres in a long winding line of human misery. This moron claimed it depicted soldiers being led to the front in the dark.

When I did my training at Woolwich back in 1969 I used to spend a lot of time wandering around the old 'Rotunda' museum which was adjacent to the training establishment. It was very much 'hands on' in those day's, and you could really get to grips with the weaponry. I hear that the Firepower museum that replaced it is a load of crap.

Modernisation is just terminology for 'dumbing down.'

[Menno]

So much nice things to see, I went with my daughter spring this year, but unfortunately she had more interest in Primark an H&M. I liked the brough superior owned by Lawrence of Arabia. And the bronze eagle with bullet holes from the Reichs Kanzlei. You feel very close to history. Got some pictures if anyone is interested.
Regards Menno