By Alex Edwards
Happy Birthday, Big Ben. On 31 May 1859 the Westminster clock tower began telling time and ringing its Great Bell — quickly becoming a London icon.
Last year, Londoners were polled by Historic England to choose the best date for a London History Day, and the public answered with the birth of Big Ben. So on Wednesday, the entire capital of England will celebrate. 40 museums and galleries across the city will play host to special events, with everything from walking tours to rare objects on display.
We’ve chosen a few of our fave venues to help you celebrate in the most historical ways.
British Museum
In Rooms 41, 50 and 51 at the British Museum, Secrets from the Thames will fill the displays. Objects from the Bronze and Iron Age, from human skulls to weapons to coins, have remained preserved in the river for centuries. Some were found as long ago as when London was originally being built from the ground up.
The British Museum is free.
Charles Dickens Museum
Charles Dickens is often referred to as one of the great reformers of Victorian England. He helped pioneer investigative journalism and his writing inspired people across the globe. The museum at 48 Doughty Street will host a walking tour at 6pm that will allow visitors to enter the mind of the author.
The cost is £10, but entry is also gained to the author’s historic home and the exhibition, Restless Shadow: Dickens the Campaigner.
The Design Museum
To get a taste of a large part of London’s underground history, visit the Design Museum at 224-238 Kensington High Street. On display is the first Roundel that marked a station platform back in 1908, a logo that now represents the entire tube network.
The cost for the Design Museum is free.
The Foundling Museum
On Wednesday only, the Foundling Museum at 40 Brunswick Square will display one of the rare remaining tickets to a masquerade ball in Vauxhall Gardens in 1732. At 1pm, there will be a talk about the Gardens by the Librarian of the Gerald Coke Handel Collection.
The exhibit is free with museum admission, £8.25 for adults.
Houses of Parliament
Parliament will celebrate History Day with events following the theme, “1,000 years of history.” Talks and tours will be going on throughout the day, with objects from London’s history that have rarely been seen on display.
Tickets can be bought here for £18.50 for adults.
Tower Bridge
For London History Day, Tower Bridge has chosen to feature the first Superintendent of Machinery and later Bridge Master, John Gass. Visitors can tour the original engine rooms and make their own Bridgemaster hats.
The event is free with admission, £9.80 for adults.
Nothing catching your eye? Check out all of the events going on near you for London History Day here.