Grants Zoological Museum

 This museum is part of the University College London. 

The Museum was founded by Robert Grant in 1827. A believer in evolution he was the first professor of Zoology and Comparative Anatomy in England. When he first started lecturing at the University of London he realised he needed some teaching materials and began to collect specimens which are still used today by students. Grant taught at the University from 1828 until his death in 1874.

The dried heart of an elephant.

The museum is mainly used for research by the students of the university but is open at certain times for the public to have a look around.

Umbrellas

  I knew this shop existed but for some reason I had never come across it which is strange seeing as I walk around London so much. This Grade II listed building is situated at the end of New Oxford Street. Opened in 1857, James Smith & Sons is a beautifully preserved example of a high class Victorian West End shop. 

Inside, the shop is stocked with a huge array of umbrellas, walking sticks and canes. Not so long ago the male workers in the City of London could be seen hurrying to work wearing a bowler hat and using a black rolled umbrella as a walking stick. You would be hard pushed to see anyone these days dressed like that. However, umbrellas are still needed and as long as you have a healthy bank balance you will find what you need here.

I did chat to one of the assistants who very kindly showed me the most expensive umbrella in the shop which had a silver handle and ebony wood shaft. This retailed at just under £4000. He also showed me a cane that was a little more expensive than that as it was made from snake wood. Umbrellas over £300 are still hand made on the premises using the same methods they have always used. The business has remained in the same family for the last 175 years.

I did find one section which was more in my price range. 

Entering the shop was a real step back into history.

Tate Modern

 Today I visited the Tate Modern art gallery. The building is huge as it used to be a power station. I went to see the Tracey Emin exhibition to hopefully see something I liked but there was nothing that was to my taste.

However in the large turbine hall there was work from an artist I had never heard of who was highlighting the plight of the reindeer, which was much more interesting.

The installation is in the shape of a reindeer's nose.

I went down and walked around the maze and into one of the seating areas.

The seating is covered in reindeer hides which were so warm. I was surprised by the depth of their fur probably because I had never given it a thought before. There were headphones on the benches so you could listen to the sounds of the reindeer herds.

 

On the other side of the turbine hall was the second part of the art installation.