Museum of London Docklands Reviews Summary

Exhibits and Displays

Pros:

• "Above expectations museum of life in and around the docks of London from the earliest days. FREE!"
• "Lots of interesting history about the development of the docks from Roman Times through to the Middle Ages and up to the present day."
• "The general exhibition covers the trades and associated activities of the London Docklands."
• "A museum of the highest quality. Exhibits are well balanced and interesting."
• "The museum displays artifacts against backgrounds that show their context, from a street scene showing shops where imported goods were sold to workshops for the craftsmen that supported the needs of the warehouses and docks."
• "Really excellent history of London Docklands. Learned a lot - fascinating information about the slave trade."
• "The museum cleverly uses immersive displays, interactive exhibits, and oral histories to transport visitors back in time."

Cons:

• "It felt a bit 'history-lite' overall and it jumped from era to era which isn't really helpful for young people trying to understand cause and effect."
• "Maybe too much history if you want to do other things in the day."
• "In many ways it is a traditional museum design, which did not succeed in engaging my 10 and 13 year olds."
• "However there was very little interactive content."
• "The display was well done. But the hot London temperatures and sulphur smog along with the off gassing of preservatives in some of the display items led to a stuffy atmosphere in the building."

Staff and Service

Pros:

• "The staff do a very good job to make you feel welcome and informed."
• "The staff all seemed very engaged and enthusiastic."
• "Staff were 5 star from the volunteer who greeted us to the ladies at the desk when we left - all were great!"
• "All the staff we interacted with were friendly and informative."
• "The most friendly staff from the moment you step into the museum."
• "Filled with friendly and helpful staff."
• "The staff are so polite & welcoming!"

Cons:

• "The staff member on the tills for the shop was completely disinterested in me and my child attempting to make a purchase."
• "Very disappointed when I desperately needed to get him a snack at the cafe and was told I couldn’t even get the packaged items because they were closed, 20 minutes before the museum even closed."
• "It felt rude and like we were being rushed out, despite the museum not being closed yet."
• "But it was let down by one staff member in their museum cafe!!! They had no change!!! So don't bother if you want to pay by cash!!!"
• "They were a bit pushy with donating, but I get where they’re coming from."
• "This was the first time I have been given the Spanish inquisition by a member of staff outside, to enter a museum too."
• "Would deserve 5 stars if we weren't denied the use of plugs to charge phones near tables at the cafeteria."

Facilities and Accessibility

Pros:

• "Great accessibility measures around the museum - lifts, braille signs, and fold-out portable chairs that were greatly appreciated."
• "There is always plenty for children to do here too as there's always hands on activities and crafts as well as the play area."
• "Plenty of toilets on site. Cafe and gift shop on site."
• "There is a lift to all floors and disabled toilets."
• "Clean toilets!"
• "Good access throughout for buggies or wheelchairs."
• "Good facilities well equipped."

Cons:

• "Problem was overcrowded loos as upper floor broken."
• "Could do with better signage as we tried to interrupt our flow to get coffee Ave could not escape from floor 2 without help."
• "The only disappointing thing was when we tried to go into Mudlarks for the kids, we weren't allowed in because there was a 'school group' in there at the time."
• "They dimmed the lights at 16:30 so we couldn't read the information because they were 'about to close' (they close at 17:00 officially)."
• "2 older girls (my guess age 10-12) were in the play area messing around and throwing bits of soft play at each other."