London Transport Museum – October Half Term
London Transport Museum – October Half Term: Through the Darkness
From the Underground’s deepest tunnels to navigating the city on the darkest of nights, public transport keeps our city moving.
This October Half Term, as the days get shorter and the evenings draw in, families visiting the Museum can meet time-travelling passengers from Victorian London and step into the shoes of Edwardian engineers. Explore what it is like to travel through the darkness and the engineering that makes it possible.
All our drop-in activities are free with your entry tickets!
The scheduled programme is:
Meet the Victorians: London’s first underground passengers
Dates: Saturday 26 October – Sunday 3 November
Times: 11:00, 12:00, 14:00, 15:00, 16:00
Location: Museum galleries
Age: Suitable for children aged 7 and above
Today the Underground is part of everyday life. But what was it like to travel for the first time through tunnels deep under London almost 140 years ago? As you explore the Museum, look out for a time-traveling Victorian passenger. Join them on an imaginative journey through the darkness on London’s first deep-level Tube line in a carriage known as ‘the Padded Cell’.
Underground Zone
Dates: Saturday 26 October – Wednesday 30 October
Time: 10:30, 11:30, 13:30, 14:30, 15:30
Location: Transportorium
Age: Suitable for children aged 0-5. Please note, the 10:30 sessions are for families with children who are not yet walking.
Step into our sensory Underground Zone. Let your creativity run free as you explore lights, sounds and sensory objects inspired by the tunnels beneath our city.
Build your own Night Bus
Date: Thursday 31 October – Sunday 3 November
Time: 10:30, 11:30, 13:30, 14:30, 15:30
Location: Transportorium
Age: Suitable for children aged 5 and above
More than 100 years ago, London’s first Night Bus took to the streets of the capital. To travel safely through the darkness of night, they made use of a new invention: the electric headlamp. Step into the shoes of an Edwardian engineer and get creative as you make your build your own model night bus to explore the city.
Below the Surface
Dates: 25, 26, 27 October and 1, 2, 3 November
Times: 10:45, 11:45, 1:45, 2:45, 3:45
Location: Luke Skills Space
Age: Suitable for young people aged 7and above
When the first deep-level Tube lines were being built, engineers had to solve the problem of how to get passengers down to the platforms and back up again. Challenge yourself to think like an engineer and work together to invent a way to safely move a mini model passenger from a higher point to a lower point.
Mapping the Tube
Dates: Saturday 26 October – Sunday 3 November
Times: All day
Location: Transportorium Garden
Age: Suitable for kids – and big kids!
Think you know the Tube? Put your knowledge to the test as you map out London’s Underground network in this interactive puzzle.
For more information, please visit the London Transport Museum website.
For more events in the local area, please visit the Raring2go! What’s on Guide, or check our Places2Go section of the website for some great ideas for family days out.
