Simon Willison's Weblog: london

London Transport Museum Depot Open Days

2025-09-12T08:46:31+00:00

London Transport Museum Depot Open Days

I just found out about this (thanks, ChatGPT) and I'm heart-broken to learn that I'm in London a week too early! If you are in London next week (Thursday 18th through Sunday 21st 2025) you should definitely know about it:

The Museum Depot in Acton is our working museum store, and a treasure trove of over 320,000 objects.

Three times a year, we throw open the doors and welcome thousands of visitors to explore. Discover rare road and rail vehicles spanning over 100 years, signs, ceramic tiles, original posters, ephemera, ticket machines, and more.

And if you can go on Saturday 20th or Sunday 21st you can ride the small-scale railway there!

The Depot is also home to the London Transport Miniature Railway, a working miniature railway based on real London Underground locomotives, carriages, signals and signs run by our volunteers.

Note that this "miniature railway" is not the same thing as a model railway - it uses a 7¼ in gauge railway and you can sit on top of and ride the carriages.

Tags: london, museums, ai-assisted-search

V&A East Storehouse and Operation Mincemeat in London

2025-08-27T18:51:28+00:00

We were back in London for a few days and yesterday had a day of culture.

First up: the brand new V&A East Storehouse museum in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park near Stratford, which opened on May 31st this year.

This is a delightful new format for a museum. The building is primarily an off-site storage area for London's Victoria and Albert museum, storing 250,000 items that aren't on display in their main building.

The twist is that it's also open to the public. Entrance is free, and you can climb stairs and walk through an airlock-style corridor into the climate controlled interior, then explore three floors of walkways between industrial shelving units holding thousands of items from the collection.

There is almost no signage aside from an occasional number that can help you look up items in the online catalog.

I found the lack of signs to be unexpectedly delightful: it compels you to really pay attention to the items on display.

There's so much great stuff in here. I particularly appreciated the two storey street-facing façades of Robin Hood Gardens, a brutalist London residential estate completed in 1972 and demolished in 2017 through 2025. I also really enjoyed the Kaufman Office, an office space transplanted from Pittsburgh that is "the only complete interior designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright on permanent display outside the USA."

The building is a working museum warehouse and preservation facility, and there are various points where you can look out into the rest of the space (I enjoyed spotting a cluster of grandfather clocks in the distance) or watch the curators arranging and preserving new artifacts.

I've added it to Niche Museums with whole lot more of my photos.

In the evening we headed to the Fortune Theater to see Operation Mincemeat at the recommendation of several friends. It's a fantastic musical telling the story of a real British covert operation that took place during World War II. A cast of five take on 86 roles, sometimes switching roles live on stage multiple times during a single number. It's hilarious, touching, deeply entertaining and manages to start at high energy and then continually escalate that energy as the show continues.

The original British cast (three of whom co-wrote it) have moved to New York for a broadway production that started in March. The cast we saw in London were outstanding.

It's a tiny theater - the West End's second smallest at 432 seats (the smallest is the Arts Theater at 350) which makes for an intimate performance.

I absolutely loved it and would jump at the chance to see it again.

Tags: london, museums, theatre

London Silver Vaults on Niche Museums

2019-12-12T02:40:27+00:00

London Silver Vaults on Niche Museums

I’m keeping up my streak of posting a new museum I’ve visited to niche-museums.com daily—today’s entry is the London Silver Vaults, which I think are one of London’s best kept secrets: 30 specialist silver merchants in a network of vaults five storeys below Chancery Lane.

Tags: london, museums

A thing to do in London that is special, unusual and fun

2017-06-08T06:02:00+00:00

My answer to A thing to do in London that is special, unusual and fun on Ask MetaFilter

London has some of the best cocktail bars in the world. I'm a big fan of this top 50 list, which is updated every year based on an international panel of bartenders. It looks like the American Bar at the Savoy is back at the top for London now - it's been serving cocktails for over 100 years including keeping the American cocktail tradition alive during prohibition. Sure, it's expensive but your budget should cover a couple of drinks each (which for me is absolutely enough for an evening). Or you could hit a couple of the bars on that list and have a drink at each one

Pro tip: the Savoy is within walking distance of most of London's west end theaters, and in my experience if you head there after a show there's normally no line to get seated at the bar. Great for after-show drinks.

Tags: ask-metafilter, london, cocktails

Where do you like to eat in London?

2017-03-01T05:32:00+00:00

My answer to Where do you like to eat in London? on Ask MetaFilter

I adore Ya Hala next to Paddington station - Lebanese food (so lots of veggie options), open until midnight, really good tea as well. It's my first stop in London whenever I'm visiting, since you can get directly there from Hearhrow on the Heathrow Express train.

Tags: ask-metafilter, food, london, thatlondon, joy

Help us plan a trip to the English countryside

2017-01-10T21:04:00+00:00

My answer to Help us plan a trip to the English countryside on Ask MetaFilter

The Mechanical Music Museum in Northleach in the Cotswolds is a hidden gem - definitely worth dropping in for their tour.

Tags: ask-metafilter, london, travel, countryside, quaint, thecotswolds

Difficulty level: Eating dumplings

2016-10-01T14:49:00+00:00

My answer to Difficulty level: Eating dumplings on Ask MetaFilter

When I lived in Islington a few years ago I really liked New Culture Revolution for dumplings. It was never busy, not very expensive and the food was great.

Tags: ask-metafilter, london, restaurants, resolved, reservations

How can I negotiate a free conference venue in London?

2015-05-24T13:22:00+00:00

My answer to How can I negotiate a free conference venue in London? on Quora

The two top options in my experience are universities (including student unions) and private companies with good meeting facilities.

In both cases, you will need a strong internal champion within those organizations. For universities a good option here may be a student union society of some sort. For companies, an employee who knows how to book rooms, work with the facilities team etc.

It goes without saying that your event will need to have a theme that strongly resonated with the group that you are asking to host it for free.

Tags: conferences, london, quora

What are the best ramen places in London?

2013-12-23T17:43:00+00:00

My answer to What are the best ramen places in London? on Quora

The big four are Bone Daddies, Tonkotsu, Shoryu and Ittenbari, all in or around Soho. You can find them all on my foursquare list here: Ramen in London

Personally my favourite is Tonkotsu on Dean Street - they do my favourite ramen bowl of the four, and they are a lot less crowded than Bone Daddies.

Tags: food, london, quora, japan, restaurants

Does Facebook fly you to London when you apply for this office or are the interviews done remotely?

2013-11-24T13:06:00+00:00

My answer to Does Facebook fly you to London when you apply for this office or are the interviews done remotely? on Quora

If they are anything like Google (which I expect they are) they will do the initial interviews remotely and then fly promising candidates to the London office (or even to California) for in-person interviews.

Tags: facebook, london, recruiting, quora

What are some of the best offbeat attractions in London?

2013-10-28T17:13:00+00:00

My answer to What are some of the best offbeat attractions in London? on Quora

Camden Passage antiques market in Islington (near Angel tube) should be right up your street. It's full of fascinating characters and intriguing shops, including bits and pieces of WWII memorabilia.

Tags: london, travel, quora, england

What are the most "New Yorkers" experiences you can do in London?

2013-10-27T11:43:00+00:00

My answer to What are the most "New Yorkers" experiences you can do in London? on Quora

There's a Shake Shack (legendary NY burger chain) in Covent Garden now.

Tags: london, quora, nyc

Which investors would consider a natural language processing startup in London?

2013-09-30T15:52:00+00:00

My answer to Which investors would consider a natural language processing startup in London? on Quora

I don't know the answer, but I know how you can find it: track down as many London-based AI/machine learning/NLP startups as you can and look at who their investors are.

Tags: london, nlp, startups, quora

Where is Twitter's office in London?

2013-09-01T17:07:00+00:00

My answer to Where is Twitter's office in London? on Quora

Just off Great Portland Street.

Tags: london, twitter, quora

How can I find short-term work experience at a startup in London?

2013-08-10T14:02:00+00:00

My answer to How can I find short-term work experience at a startup in London? on Quora

Take a look at www.enternships.com - lots of London startup intern opportunities listed there.

Tags: london, startups, quora

What are the cheapest ways for a single man to eat in London without cooking?

2013-08-05T14:20:00+00:00

My answer to What are the cheapest ways for a single man to eat in London without cooking? on Quora

24 hour fried chicken joints are a relatively cheap source of calories if you want hot food and don't want to cook.

(You didn't say anything about eating healthily!)

Tags: food, london, travel, quora, restaurants

Which companies in London are using Python?

2013-07-29T17:20:00+00:00

My answer to Which companies in London are using Python? on Quora

We use Python/Django for http://lanyrd.com/ - we're based in London.

I believe http://thread.com/ are a Python shop too. There are plenty more dotted around.

Tags: london, programming, python, startups, quora, careers

What things can you find in London but not in New York City?

2013-07-22T15:20:00+00:00

My answer to What things can you find in London but not in New York City? on Quora

A train that will take you directly to Paris.

Tags: london, quora, nyc

Where can I get Korean alcoholic soju yoghurt in London?

2013-06-20T12:10:00+00:00

My answer to Where can I get Korean alcoholic soju yoghurt in London? on Quora

We found somewhere! Han Kang near Tottenham Court Road https://plus.google.com/10738855...

Tags: london, quora

Where do I find out about interesting upcoming events in London?

2013-02-20T12:10:00+00:00

My answer to Where do I find out about interesting upcoming events in London? on Quora

I'm a big fan of Ian Visits: London Events Listings Guide for finding out about some of the more obscure events going on. Ian is an excellent curator with impecable taste in cultural events, and frequently lists guest lectures, guided walks, tours and other events that you may not hear about anywhere else.

For conferences, our service Lanyrd has strong crowdsourced listings in London for conferences and other professional events, especially around more technology-related topics. Try this page: Conferences and eventst in London | Lanyrd - but you can also filter by topic, e.g. Startup conferences and events in London

Tags: events, london, startups, quora

Which restaurants in London serve orange or lemon sorbet served in a hollowed out orange or lemon?

2013-02-11T13:24:00+00:00

My answer to Which restaurants in London serve orange or lemon sorbet served in a hollowed out orange or lemon? on Quora

Thanks to Twitter I'm informed that Ciao Bella on Lamb's Conduit Street has the lemon version.

qwghlm: @simonw Forgot my Quora password, ...

Dessert menu: Welcome to Ciao Bella Italian Restaurant in Bloomsbury

Tags: food, london, quora, restaurants

What are some hidden gem restaurants in London for trying food from different countries, aside from the plenty of Indian, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Italian restaurants?

2013-01-28T13:13:00+00:00

My answer to What are some hidden gem restaurants in London for trying food from different countries, aside from the plenty of Indian, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Italian restaurants? on Quora

I'll throw in a few of my favourites...

http://malinarestaurant.com/ is an absolutely delightful Polish restaurant near Hammersmith. Malina is polish for raspberry and they serve a beautiful home made raspberry liqueur at the end of the meal. Terra Sarda on Upper Street in Islington is a fantastic little Sardinian restaurant - amazing main courses. Here are some photos I took there: https://www.facebook.com/swillis...

Afghan Kitchen in Angel serves home cooked traditional Afghan food - very tasty indeed.

cbetta on Twitter suggested Ceviche on Frith Street in Soho for Peruvian food.

Tags: food, london, quora, restaurants

What should one bring on a trip to London?

2013-01-15T10:34:00+00:00

My answer to What should one bring on a trip to London? on Quora

Bring an unlocked smartphone (Google Maps is essential, it has excellent public transport directions - don't trust Apple Maps). You can get a pay-as-you-go SIM when you arrive, provided your phone is unlocked (check that you will be able to put a UK SIM in it).

Having a good map on your phone will make a huge difference to your trip. London is a fantastic city to walk around, but it's also easy to get lost if you don't have a map. It might be worth grabbing a pocket sized London A-Z map from a book shop too.

Don't get too hooked on the tube - for journeys of only one or two stops it usually makes more sense to walk, and longer trips are still more fun walking because you are certain to see lots of interesting things en route... and having a smartphone with data will let you find out what they are!

Carrying an iPhone completely changed my relationship with London.

Tags: london, travel, quora

What is the best food in London for under £20?

2013-01-06T13:35:00+00:00

My answer to What is the best food in London for under £20? on Quora

In terms of chain burger restaurants, Byron is excellent - much better than GBK.

Soho has had an explosion of excellent Ramen joints recently, including Bone Daddies and Tonkotsu (I've tried both, they're amazing). Chris Heathcote's review of them makes great reading: http://anti-mega.com/antimega/20...

Tags: food, london, pubs, uk, quora

What are some great things happening in London in January 2013?

2012-11-29T09:41:00+00:00

My answer to What are some great things happening in London in January 2013? on Quora

Keep an eye on the events calendar on Ian Visits: London Events Listings Guide - it doesn't have much for January yet but closer to the time you can guarantee Ian will have tracked down some fascinating, obscure and worthwhile London events. He's amazingly good at tracking down the weirder side of London - parades, one-off openings of private houses, guest lectures, guided walking tours and so on.

Tags: london, quora

What's the best free online newspaper in the U.K?

2012-11-27T11:10:00+00:00

My answer to What's the best free online newspaper in the U.K? on Quora

The Guardian. (OK, I used to work there, but I would say the same even if I hadn't. It's a world class newspaper with a truly excellent website) http://www.guardian.co.uk/

Tags: london, newspapers, quora

What communities and interest groups in London should software developers get involved in?

2012-11-01T09:02:00+00:00

My answer to What communities and interest groups in London should software developers get involved in? on Quora

The monthly Hacker News London Meetup Group (held near Old Street) is a great opportunity to meet up with entrepreneurial-minded hackers - the talks are usually a good combination of technical and startup/entrepreneur material, and it attracts a really interesting crowd.

Tags: london, programmers, software-engineering, startups, quora

What recommendations are there for conference venues in London for between 50-100 people?

2012-10-05T16:13:00+00:00

My answer to What recommendations are there for conference venues in London for between 50-100 people? on Quora

The Magic Circle offer a small, intimate venue with some great history. They are just behind Euston Station. They can seat 150 people. http://themagiccirclevenue.co.uk/

Tags: conferences, london, quora

What are some fun things to do in Camden Town, London?

2012-09-25T13:16:00+00:00

My answer to What are some fun things to do in Camden Town, London? on Quora

Check out Brew Dog http://www.brewdog.com/bars/camden - excellent craft beers and really good (and interesting) burgers.

Tags: london, travel, quora, england

What are the few must-do things in London before one leaves this place for good?

2012-08-08T13:32:00+00:00

My answer to What are the few must-do things in London before one leaves this place for good? on Quora

In terms of museums, it really is worth checking out the big four: the British Museum, the Science Museum, the Natural History Museum and the V&A. They're all exceptional (and free to enter). Here are some highlights...

At the British Museum the headline items are probably the Rosetta stone and the Elgin Marbles, but the range of Egyptian antiquities is astonishing (the second largest collection in the world, after the Egyptian Museum in Cairo) and they have equally impressive collections from ancient Greece, Mesopotamia, Asia... it's absolutely worth taking the time to explore. They also have a mummified cat, tucked away in one of the Egyptian galleries.

Highlights in the Science Museum include the original Stephenson's Rocket (one of the first steam train designs), Watson and Crick's DNA model made out of bits and pieces of lab equipment and an amazing Space section, which has the Apollo 10 command module (which orbited the moon) and the last remnants of the British space program - Black Arrow, which looks like the spaceship-eating space ship from You Only Live Twice. Their flight section is excellent (they have a cutaway slice of a 747) and if you head to the very top of the museum you can explore a fabulous medical section, which hosts a set of George Washington's dentures and some terrifying historical medical equipment.

The Natural History Museum is famous for its dinosaurs (though it's worth noting that the most famous of all of them, Dippy the Diplodocus, is actually a 26m long plaster cast - albeit one that's over 100 years old now!) but it's also one of the most architecturally impressive buildings in London - a beautiful piece of Victorian architecture. In addition to the dinosaurs there are fabulous collections of stuffed animals and some great geology exhibits (there's even a moon rock) - but the most exciting exhibit is probably the Giant Squid - which I believe is the only one on public display anywhere in the world. It's not in a public gallery but you can book on to a free behind-the-scenes tour of the spirit building to see it (tours run several times a day, just ask at an information desk). The spirit building itself is amazing - it's the largest collection of things-stored-in-alcohol-in-jars anywhere in the world, and includes Charles Darwin's personal collection. Here's a useful tip: if the main entrance has massive queues, look for the much smaller side entrance next to the Science Museum - it usually has no queues at all.

The Victoria and Albert Museum showcases decorative art and design in a stunning range of galleries. Of particular interest are the two central halls which exhibit an enormous range of ancient monuments - pillars, doorways, walls, statues... all of which are fake! In preparation for the Great Exhibition of 1851 teams travelled around the world creating life-sized plaster casts of a huge range of monuments - and after the exhibition most of these ended up forming the initial collection for the V&A. Many of the originals have since been destroyed making the plaster collection unique and utterly fascinating - the replicas themselves are over 150 years old. My other personal favourites: Tippoo's Tiger - a mechanical tiger savaging a European soldier, with a pipe organ hidden inside. And... the ironwork gallery, which has a beautiful collection of biscuit tins.

I haven't even begun to do justice to these museums, but if you haven't been to them you really do owe yourself a couple of days of exploration. Go on a week day when they won't be completely packed with children, and for the best experience head straight to the furthest/highest point in the museum from the entrance and work your way backwards - there are plenty of gems hidden away in the far corners, and even if the rest of the museum is packed you'll be sure to find empty galleries back there.

Tags: london, museums, travel, quora, science-museum