All Aboard: New family play zone at London Transport Museum, opening 28 March 2015

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Opening on Saturday 28 March, children will be able to get in the driver’s seat of a real bus, repair a mini Tube train and play in the ‘Lost Property’ office.

They can also enjoy ‘sailing’ the Thames Nipper, serve passengers in the Nipper café, fly the Emirates Air Line cable car, make driver announcements and help customers at the mini information desk using the magnetic message board, maps and clocks.

There is also the opportunity to look out for the ‘noisy seats’ on some of the vehicles which make funny sounds when sat upon, and the singing stars of the future can play musical instruments at the busking spot.

All Aboard has been designed for children aged 0 to 7 years and for the first time the Museum will have an area specifically for infants at the ‘Baby DLR’ which is equipped with an interactive wall and building blocks.

There is also a lot to enjoy elsewhere in the Museum:

  • drive Tube train simulators

  • pick up a free stamper card and collect transport stamps around the Museum galleries

  • play on real buses and trains

  • meet costumed actors who bring some of the exhibits to life

  • choose some activities from the family station

  • dress up in historical outfits

  • take a break in the Museum’s Upper Deck café and enjoy Tube line milk shakes and transport shaped pasta or collect a bus shaped lunch box to take to the indoor picnic area.

Special family events over Easter – weekdays, 30 March to 17 April

Our Easter holiday family events are inspired by the new All Aboard play zone:

  • Animated London: Make a tiny puppet and then create a short video.

Suitable for families with children aged 6 to 12 years

  • Storytime  – Lost in London: Meet the animals from the Museum’s new All Aboard family play zone and help them find their way across London.

Suitable for families with children aged 3 to 6 years

The new All Aboard family play zone has been made possible with support from DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund, Luke Rees-Pulley Charitable Trust and bus manufacturer Optare.

Admission to London Transport Museum is free for children and young people aged 17 and under and adult tickets can be used for an unlimited number of visits for a whole year. Adult annual passes cost £16.00 (£13.50 concessions).

Visit www.ltmuseum.co.uk or call for 020 7565 7298 for more information.

All events take place at London Transport Museum, Covent Garden Piazza, WC2E 7BB

Further information, interview requests and images

Wendy Neville at wendy.neville@ltmuseum.co.uk 020 7565 7266

Georgia Morely at georgia.morley@ltmuseum.co.uk 020 7565 7447

Editors’ Notes

About London Transport Museum:

  • London Transport Museum is situated in the heart of Covent Garden and filled with stunning exhibits; the Museum explores the powerful link between transport and the growth of modern London, culture and society since 1800. Historic vehicles, world-famous posters and the very best objects from the Museum’s extraordinary collection are brought together to tell the story of London’s development and the part transport played in defining the unique identity of the city.

  • Family facilities at London Transport Museum:

    • free cloakroom and buggy park

    • baby changing room

    • baby feeding room

    • indoor picnic area at weekends and during school holidays

    • ramp/lift access to all galleries

    • high chairs

    • KIDS GO Free

  • The Museum is an educational and heritage preservation charity.  Its purpose is to conserve and explain the history of London’s transport, to offer people an understanding of the Capital’s past development and to engage them in the debate about its future. The Museum’s registered charity number is 1123122.
  • London Transport Museum is grateful for the support of the following organisations who have supported All Aboard – DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund, Luke Rees-Pulley Charitable Trust and Optare:

    DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund: jointly funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Wolfson Foundation, grants are designed to fund renovation and improvement projects in museums and galleries, to increase access and enhance the display of exhibits.

    Luke Rees-Pulley Charitable Trust: set up by Luke’s family in his memory after he died tragically in January 2005.  The Trust aims to advance the education of the public on the workings and benefits of public transport in Greater London and to advance and promote the advancement of safety standards in Greater London for the benefit of the public.

    Optare: design and manufacture a range of lightweight, fully electric and low-carbon diesel city buses.  The customised Solo bus donated by the UK bus manufacturer to the All Aboard play zone is designed to raise awareness amongst children of the role buses play in day-to-day life and give them a chance to experience the driver and passenger experience through the interactive nature of the exhibit.  Optare’s parent company, Ashok Leyland, part of the Hinduja Group, is ranked within the top five global bus manufacturers. London Transport Museum is also grateful to Imtech Traffic and Infra UK, McKenna Brothers and Go-Ahead London for providing gallery content support.