The London Transport Museum in Covent Garden showcases the history of London’s transport systems since the 1800s, with exhibits including historic vehicles, posters, and art. Guided tours are available, and special exhibitions are hosted regularly.
The London Transport Museum, or LT Museum, is a public museum located in Covent Garden in central London. Visitors can get to the museum using public transport, exiting at Covent Garden tube station. The museum’s mission is to show and highlight the connection between the city and its transport systems since the 1800s. Visitors can primarily expect to see numerous examples of historic transport vehicles, art and posters relating to London’s transport system.
London is home to famous transport icons, including the Routemaster red double-decker buses, the Underground and the London Black Cab. These recognizable people movers have a long history in the city and examples of each have been preserved for the interest of visitors of the museum. Dozens of trains, buses, trams, streetcars and taxis, among others, can be found on display in the museum. Visitors to the London Transport Museum can see how each mode of transport has progressed and modernized over the decades, culminating in the modern system in use today.
In addition to the typical vehicles on display, the London Transport Museum also has an extensive collection of posters commissioned by London Transport since the early 1900s. The collection is a major showcase of British graphic design history, featuring over 1,000 original works of art by British artists and designers. These posters were an invaluable promotional tool in the early days of the London Underground, ultimately helping to promote the iconic status of many British public transport vehicles. Also historically important, posters are a prime example of wartime propaganda created and used for national purposes.
The London Transport Museum is open seven days a week and guided tours are also offered on certain days. The tours offer visitors the chance to learn more detailed information about the preserved vehicles and the art displayed in the museum, which is spread over three levels. On the ground floor are typically ongoing exhibitions, as well as the permanent exhibition on tube and surface transport in London. Level 1 highlights the history of the steam underground in London and the growth of the suburbs, while Level 2 showcases 19th century London.
Frequently, the London Transport Museum also hosts special exhibitions which vary in scope and theme and last from around a month to nearly a year. Some exhibitions allow the museum to show a certain aspect of London’s transport system on a deeper level, be it obscure or iconic. Others present a historical moment from the point of view of public transport. Past exhibitions have featured the London Underground, bus shelter art and wartime London.
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