How to fill a sketchbook: a visit to Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood

This museum has recently been refurbished and opened with a fresh face in spring 2007. I found this museum very inspirational and the great thing is that it is not one of those museums where you have to tiptoe around and whisper either. The museum tends to get busy in the afternoons, especially during the school holidays. So if you want a quiet life go in school term time and in the morning. The best thing about this place is that it is free.

If you want to visit in a group larger than 10, you need to inform the museum first. But if you go on your lonesome, they don't mind you taking photos or sketching away. If it is really quiet you may even consider getting out the paints. I find that I never remember the colours if I haven't captured them on the spot, so it is a good idea to record them in some way.

I visited the museum as part of a course I was doing in greetings card illustration. If you are doing illustrations for greetings cards, then the theme of nostalgia is a very popular one. As are pictures of cute bears (there are lots of these in this museum), cats and surprisingly frogs! Apart from Christmas, Mother's Day cards are the next big market for cards. You'll find lots of inspiration here too for children's illustrations.

There is an information desk in the museum, which you can't miss as it is in the centre on the ground floor next to the cafe that serves lovely cakes, teas and juices (you can tell where I ended up). The museum doesn't have a map or a plan of where anything is, but it is small enough to just wander around and look at whatever takes your fancy. The staff at the museum will also point you in the right direction if there is anything in particular that you want to see. From what I could tell the collection includes, moving and clockwork toys, doll's houses, bears, a seaside section, carousels, board games and also areas where children (and adults) can play and be creative. If you want to find out more about the collection you can also visit their website, which has more details www.vam.ac.uk/moc.

History of the museum

The Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood was Britain's first purpose-built museum constructed in 1856, before being dismantled and then moved across London to its present position. It was the East End arm of the Victoria and Albert Museum. The idea was to provide the East End with its own dash of culture and to act as an educational resource. The original iron frame is still visible on the inside. It wasn't always a museum for children, but it eventually became so. This is what makes it so special, a museum for children and nostalgic adults that holds one of the largest collections of toys in the country, if not in the world. I don't think I've ever come across a similar museum anywhere else.

Beside the seaside

The first section I headed for was on the top floor of the museum, which had a seaside theme. There was a sand pit and bucket and spades to play with (no I didn't build a sandcastle, although I was tempted). A background sound of waves crashing on a beach took me back to happy childhood days spent playing in the sand and swimming in the sea. The display included several Punch and Judy booths as well as other toys associated with the seaside.

Mr Punch must be one of the most well-known puppet characters in existence. All children have seen or heard of him. According to Punch legend, he used to be a stringed puppet, but eventually became a hand puppet making it a lot easier to transport him and his co-stars around the country. The first thing I sketched was Gus Wood's Punch and Judy (see photo above). The expression on Judy's face was a little disconcerting, she looked utterly miserable, so I used poetic license to make her look more cheerful in my sketch. I also excluded the ghost that was in the background. At the bottom of the booth was a small coffin (maybe this is the ghost's bed) and a black man puppet as well as a drum. Hmmm, interesting. Not sure I remember these from my childhood days. Their origin may possibly be medieval in origin.

Carousels and circuses

Next to the seaside collection on the top floor, there was a good selection of carousels and circuses of various sizes from tiny to large. The circus collection included a clockwork circus that was made during the World War II and included several clown and acrobat characters, which I decided to sketch (see photos below).

Clockwork and soft toys

Downstairs I found yet more cute offerings. I especially liked the clockwork toys and took a liking to some brightly coloured birds. On this floor I also found several Jack-in-a-box, and in one section lots of soft toys including the ever popular teddy bear collection.

Doll's houses

And finally... You can't leave without perusing the doll's house collection (ground floor). I could imagine the Borrowers living quite happily for years among this lot.