Small medical and zoology museums in London

I recently visited 3 small museums in London that have a medical or zoological theme. And they are all free!

The first was the Grant Museum of Zoology.

It is the last university zoological musem in London, connected to UCL. It is housed in the Rockerfeller Buildings in University Street, near Gower Street. Across the road is the Cruciform Building, a grade II listed building -

The Grant Museum is small, but packed with some of the oldest natural history collections in the UK, ranging from microscopic slides through to huge skeletons. Rhino skeleton and African elephant skull -

"The Grant Museum has around 68,000 zoological specimens. Notable specimens include the world’s rarest skeleton, the quagga; thylacine specimens; dodo bones and fine collection of models including the Blaschka glass models, Ziegler wax models, and Vernon Edwards extinct fish models."

A collection of bats -

Orang utan and chimpanzee -

Birds -

And a dugong from SE Asia

See more on the Grant Museum website.

From the Grant Museum it is just a short walk to the Welcome Collection on Euston Road. I actually went there because I thought it was the museum my father had taken me to when I was a teenager. That museum was full of human anatomy specimens, especially those affected by disease. But I found the Wellcome Collection was not the same. The latter explores the connection between medicine, life and art. The one I had visited decades ago was the Wellcome Museum of Anatomy and Pathology and is now closed until 2021.

There is one permanent exhibition "Medicine Man" which is display of items collected by Sir Henry Wellcome, relating to health and medicine. It shows how people have viewed the basics of life over the centuries – birth, health, sex and death.
"Explore a wide range of objects that includes a set of Japanese sex aids from the 1930s, a unique collection of votive offerings and some diagnostic dolls used by women in 18th century China to show male doctors where they were feeling pain. We also have a metal executioner’s mask from Portugal.

There are also some direct connections to major historical figures. The exhibition features Napoleon’s toothbrush, Nelson’s razor, Charles Darwin’s walking stick, Florence Nightingale’s moccasins and even some of King George III’s hair."

Another permanent exhibition is "Being Human" . This "explores what it means to be human in the 21st century. It reflects our hopes and fears about new forms of medical knowledge, and our changing relationships with ourselves, each other and the world.

Featuring 50 artworks and objects, the gallery is divided into four sections: Genetics, Minds & Bodies, Infection, and Environmental Breakdown. Discover a refugee astronaut carrying their belongings to an unknown destination, sniff a perfumed bronze sculpture that smells of breast milk, listen to an epidemic jukebox, and watch a fast-food outlet slowly flood."

There are also temporary exhibitions. The entrance hall -

See more on the Wellcome Collection.

My 3rd museum visit was to the Royal College of Physicians. They are open during the day and also have a late evening once a month. It is located near Regents Park.

The RCP has a 500-year-old collection of artefacts and artwork. There are displays of medical equipment used over the years, apothecary jars, books and diagrams etc. And large paintings of medical people throughout the centuries.

See more on RCP London and also the London Museums of Health and Medicine.

Sheep drive on London Bridge

The annual great sheep drive on London Bridge took place on Sun 29 Sept 2019. It is part of a centuries old tradition where the Worshipful Company of Woolmen will be exercising their rights as Freemen of the City of London to drive their sheep across London Bridge.

Freemen are those who were not the property of a feudal lord but enjoyed privileges such as the right to earn money and own land. They were historically allowed to bring livestock and tools into the city without paying tax in a tradition dating back to the 12th century. Town dwellers who were protected by the charter of their town or city were often free – hence the term 'freedom' of the City.

From the Middle Ages and the Victorian era, the Freedom was the right to trade, enabling members of a Guild or Livery to carry out their trade or craft in the Square Mile.

In medieval times, sheep farmers drove their sheep across London Bridge into the City to sell them at market. Freemen of the City were excused the bridge toll that was a required payment from those outside the City. The driving of sheep to the City markets stopped many years ago, but in recent years the tradition has been ceremonially re-introduced as a fundraising event, with a flock of sheep brought in especially for the event.

EX MP and now TV presenter Michael Portillo, who is a Freeman, led the first flock of sheep over the bridge. More than 600 Freeman took part.

The sheep were very well behaved and totally ignored the buses and coaches that were passing within a metre or so of them.

This building is the Fishsmongers' Company on the north side of the bridge. This is where the Freeman had to report. Each group then led their sheep onto the bridge and displayed their certificates

The Worshipful Company of Woolmen held a Livery Fair by the Monument. Michael Portillo in his wool suit and carrying a shepherd's crook at the fair -

Sheep waiting to cross from the south side -

This is a certificate to say that this Freeman may exercise the right to bring sheep across the bridge

See more on Sheep Drive on London Bridge.

Supreme Court of United Kingdom

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Brixton windmill

Having visited other windmills in the Greater London area, at Shirley and also Wimbledon, I managed to book a tour of the Brixton windmill.

Brixton is in the borough of Lambeth in south London. The windmill is located in Windmill Gardens, a small park off Brixton Hill. The windmill was built in 1816 and is London's last working windmill. It is also open for tours a few times a year.

By booking, I was able to do the full tour, which goes up to the top floor. Unfortunately there is not a clear view of the windmill from outside, due to construction work of an education and visitor centre.

The sails are different, they are not the originals. The mill closed in 1934 and the new sails were made and added in 1964. It is a tower mill, as is the Shirley one. The structure is made of brick and wood and only the cap rotates. This means the tower can be taller and the sails therefore longer, so they can turn in lighter winds.

The mill was open to the public in 1968 but closed in 1990 and suffered vandalism and from lack of maintenance. It then received money from the Heritage Lottery Funding and is now open again. Tours are restricted to about 3 or 4 people.

The mill was owned by the Ashby family. The millstones were originally wind driven, but the sails were removed in 1864. In 1902 new millstones were installed, powered by steam. Today they are electric powered. We went straight up to the top floor, via sets of stairs. The original workers would have had to climb ladders.

Coming down a floor -

The electric powered millstones -

Examples of grinding stones. The middle one was imported from Zimbabwe, hand grinding. The one on the right shows how the millstones are curved, the weight crushes the grain which is fed in through the centre and pushes the ground flour out of the sides.

Thanks to Peter for a really informative tour.

Official site of Brixton windmill.